Over the course of the past few years my family has suffered the loss of several loved ones to cancer. 

In December 2016 my Granddad, Denys Terry - a man whom I was very close to - passed away having been diagnosed with liver cancer. He was a Methodist minister who never once touched alcohol in his life.

A mere six month later and my Grandma, Shelia Terry, suffered a similar fate - losing her battle with suspected cervical cancer in June of 2017 - leaving my mother without either her mum or dad, and my sister and I without our dearly loved grandparents.

In addition to this, in April this year, my father lost his wife to lung cancer. Her name was Lorna Lester and she was 54 years old. She wasn't a smoker and prior to her diagnosis, lived a healthy and balanced life.

Both my dad and step mum were only a few weeks into their scheduled retirement when the diagnosis was given.

Having worked so hard over the course of their respective careers, this felt like an especially cruel twist.

In memory of both my of Grandparents and my step mum, this October I'll be swimming across Ullswater - a 7.5 miles long lake in the heart of the Lake District.

The money raised will be going to Macmillan; a charity that's hard work during the tough times our family faced will never be forgotten.

The swim itself is longer than one I've ever swam before and is scheduled to last between six and seven hours. It'll be bloody cold, too.

I'm not alone in this battle and know a number of friends, relatives and colleagues that have endured their own personal struggles with this hideous disease.

As I swim the lake, each of these people will be in my thoughts as well as those who belonged to our family.

Your kind donations will be used to help maintain the sterling work that MacMillan does each and every day - whether it's changing bed sheets or providing essential, end-of-life care to grandparents, step mums and countless other family members up and down the country.

Thank you in advance. 

Alex

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