Thank you for taking time to visit the MaxAndTheMac 12 JustGiving page: a brand new campaign during which I will complete 12 challenges throughout 2016 to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support.

It is personal circumstances which have motivated me to take up such an ambitious challenge. Around August last year, following a family trip to Orlando, my Dad Steve began to encounter difficulties eating and digesting food. As this became increasingly discomforting to him he underwent a number of tests to discover what the cause of this was. It was in October, just two days after Sheffield Wednesday’s impressive 3-0 win over Arsenal that my Dad was diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus, an aggressive tumour which is in the shape of a fish hook at the opening to his stomach. As you can imagine this would make eating certain foods very difficult: claggy foods such as bread and pizza were removed from his diet and replaced with soups and foods more easy to swallow.

The news brought an immediate shock to all of us with there being no history of cancer in our family. The positive news we were told at this time was that the cancer was potentially operable and curable and he would have chemotherapy with a view to having an operation to remove the affected tissue, the infected part of the oesophagus and the lymph nodes that the cancer could potentially spread to in the future.

After further tests, the beginning of December saw our emotions toyed with further when an exploratory operation into my Dad’s stomach discovered further cancerous tissue in his stomach and in the abdomen wall. This created serious problems for the intended surgery, which would see about 80% of the oesophagus removed and part of the stomach being reformed into new plumbing to reconnect the throat and stomach. It was at this point, 3 weeks before Christmas that we were told sadly that my father’s cancer was incurable and that chemotherapy would be able to extend his life, but he will do well to last this year and the conclusion of these challenges.

In a difficult time for me and my family, I felt I needed a challenge to keep me focused and busy throughout this year. The ideas for MaxAndTheMac12 came into fruition whilst all our friends and relatives offered kind messages of support to my family and my Dad in particular. I wanted to do something which would encompass many of the connections both of us have formed during our lives with so many people, be they: football fans, poker players, colleagues, squash players etc. All of these people have shown love and friendship to us at this time and I believe we can all work together to make this ambitious project a success.

We are all working to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support, a reputable charity that provides detailed information and support for all the different types of cancer which are out there. Cancer should not be faced alone. The money raised by MaxAndTheMac12 will help Macmillan to reach more people with cancer and improve the quality of care and support available to them during their cancer journey.
If you would like to help me, I would be grateful for anyone donating using this page.

You can also help by joining me as a fellow fundraiser on any of my 12 challenges below.

1) Bungee Jump: @ Tamworth Bungee Club: 20/02/16

2) Dash of the Titans Mud Run: @ Thoresby Park: 26/03/16

3) Battle of the Backsides: @ Greenhous Meadow: DATE PENDING       

4) Shakespeare Day: @ Shrewsbury on 23/04/16 

5) Rough Runner: @ Oxford: 15/05/16

6) Shrewsbury Half Marathon: @ Shrewsbury: 19/06/16 

7) National 3 Peaks: @ UK: 01/07/16 - 03/07/16

8) Foot Golf Tournament: @ Shropshire Golf Centre: DATE PENDING

9) White Water Rafting: @ Llangollen: 07/08/16 

10) 24hr Squashathon: @ Kingsland Squash Club: DATE PENDING

11) Shrewsbury Sprint Triathlon: @ Shrewsbury: 04/09/16

12) Ludlow Cycling Festival: @ Ludlow:18/09/16

All the information for the challenges can be found on: https://www.facebook.com/MaxAndTheMac12/

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.