My Granda Stan was one of the most selfless, affectionate and genuine people you could’ve ever met. He would always put others before himself and never failed to put a smile on your face. A total role model. I know this because everyone I speak to who knew him would describe him in the exact same way. He was football mad, he played and coached every week as well as dragging my Grandma to every single Newcastle United game for over 30 years straight. Stan also loved his holidays, from exploring America to visiting relatives in Australia, any excuse and they were away! 

Unfortunately, I have no personal memory of him due to him passing when I was such a young age but he plays a huge part in my life to this day. In January 2006, my Granda was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Due to the tumour being so aggressive there was no way of stopping it meaning only time would tell how long he had left with us. He bravely went through lots of treatment to help prolong his time with us. On the 25th September 2006, the inevitable happened, he left us at the young age of 59.

Back in 1981 on the 28th June, the first ever Great North Run went ahead and you bet my Granda was the first to put his name down. On the 11th September 2022, I will be following in his footsteps and completing the 13.1 mile run in memory and to raise awareness of one of the deadliest killers in men so people can get the chance to spend time with their loved ones that I did not get.