Thank you very much for taking the time to visit my page.

I'm a chunky monkey, with flat feet, and no history of running very far - but I'm running this year's London Marathon for a cause that I believe in, a university that I love, and a mother that I miss...

Sadly a large number of my family has suffered through cancer - my mum died of lung cancer when I was nine, my uncle died of skin cancer a few years ago, and several close relations have also been diagnosed with the disease. It's not always a sad ending though - my father had oesophageal cancer a few years ago, but I'm delighted to say he responded well to the treatment that he received and is fighting fit today. Which is why I am running the London Marathon for the University of Bristol's Cancer Research Fund (CRF) - because although so many people get cancer, they don't always have to die from it.

I have a very close connection to Bristol University - the three years I spent studying there were the very best years of my life, and many of the friends I made there remain very close now. I am currently living with two of them; both fantastic doctors who graduated from Bristol recently, and the amazing work they do inspires me every day. It's with great pleasure that I can give something back to a university that changed my life forever.

I massively appreciate all your support and thank you for any donations.

Tom x

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The University of Bristol's Cancer Research Fund

Every 2.5 seconds somewhere in the world someone is diagnosed with cancer. Over 300,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every year in the UK alone and it continues to cause more untimely deaths than any other disease.

There is a wide range of exceptional cancer research that takes place at the University. It focuses on the cancers that affect the lives of many of our loved ones, such as childhood leukaemia, breast cancer, prostate cancer, brain, lung and bowel cancers. It also encompasses a variety of approaches, from the development of new diagnostic tests and drug treatments, to epidemiological research into what predisposes some people to getting cancer.

Each year, the CRF seeks out and funds the most innovative ideas. By financing the most imaginative and promising early stage research they have seeded the growth of important breakthroughs; helping them to do more, faster, in the search for new cancer treatments.

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