Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I've been running in half marathons for a few years now and so I've upped the ante and taken on the challenge of a full marathon.

I still find it hard work staying motivated and training for a marathon has taken over a lot more of my time, but I have my iPod and every time I leave the house on a run I take some time to remember my Dad and the reason why I feel the need to contribute in some small way to this very worthy cause.

In November 2012 my Dad passed away due to cancer. He had been diagnosed with bowel cancer in February 2009.

He was not a smoker or a heavy drinker. He was not overweight. For all intents and purposes, he was a fit and healthy 50-something man. The diagnosis was a shock to us all, but he was not the kind of person who gave up or shut down when life posed a challenge and his attitude was always,

“OK. So what’s next? What do I have to do? How do we get rid of it?”

He underwent radiotherapy and then an operation to remove part of his bowel. The recovery period was long and painful, but it was going well and the operation had been considered a success; until the final scan where we had hoped for the “all clear”. The cancer had spread and spots had been found in the liver and lungs.

An operation was not considered to be an option and as such chemotherapy treatments were started. He went through several courses of various treatments with varying side effects in the hope the cancer would recede or at least be controlled. However, in September 2012 he was told that the cancer was untreatable.

By this time the cancer was blocking the bile duct and he had become jaundice. He had also lost a lot of weight and the toll the cancer was having on him was clear. Even so, it did not shake his resolve to fight as long as he could. At the beginning of November he caught a chest infection that he just could not shake off and on Thursday 22 November 2012, surrounded by his mother, wife, children and grandchild he had fought long enough and let go.

Without the work that Cancer Research UK does, he may have left us a lot sooner. He may not have been there on my wedding day to see me marry my childhood sweetheart, as he had married his. I may not have been able to tell him he was going to be a Grandad. Most importantly, he may not have been around to meet his Grandson; to hold him and to see him grow and start to run around. For all these things I am extremely grateful for the work that Cancer Research UK does and hopefully by raising even just a small amount I can contribute to the cause, in the hope that we will keep getting closer to a cure.

Most of us will unfortunately be touched by cancer in one way or another during our lifetime and I am doing this in memory of my hero, my role model and the man I have the most respect for. My Dad.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.