Clatterbridge cancer charity is very close to my heart and I am hoping to raise as much money as possible over the coming months to support them. I will forever be grateful for everything they do. The first event is taking part in the glow green walk up snowdon in June, along with others raising money for this amazing charity.

My partner Chris had a seizure in 2014 and following an MRI, they found a brain tumour. At the time it was a case of watch and wait and have regular MRI scans to monitor any growth. Chris took all of this in his stride, he was medically discharged from the Royal Marines and found a job at home on the Wirral. He used the same determination that got him through his training, to make a new start for us here.

At the end of 2016 after 6 monthly MRI scans, they found the tumour had started to grow. Due to where it is on the brain stem he could not have surgery and instead had 6 weeks of intense radiotherapy, 5 days a week. Despite how tough this clearly was on him, being sick constantly and loosing weight, he said throughout he could not thank the consultants, nurses and all the staff at Clatterbridge enough for their support. Following this he continued to have regular MRI scans.

In January 2020 we went for his MRI results and had amazing news! They shared the tumour had actually shrunk to the point the consultants couldn’t see it on the scan. We were told originally the radiotherapy was only likely to stop the growth, so this was fantastic news- especially as I was 8 months pregnant with our little girl.

Fast forward to February this year we had a phone call that they needed to move his results appointment forward a week and in person, instead of over the phone. At the appointment with the consultant, she shared the tumour had grown and was now classed as a grade 3 tumour (cancer). As he cannot have surgery and has already had radiotherapy (he is not able to have this again) the plan is for 12 months of chemotherapy and review at 3 months, to see if this has stopped the growth.

He could not have asked for a better consultant, she gets his personality and how to best support him and we are so grateful for Clatterbridge Cancer charity for all they do. He is able to have the chemotherapy delivered to him at home to keep his routine as ‘normal’ as possible and not have to go to the hospital each day. Without Clatterbridge Cancer Charity, this may not be able to happen.

Chris has so much determination and I am immensely proud of him. He has just completed his first cycle of chemotherapy and still completed a 17 mile run on the last day of this, in preparation for his marathon in April. He will be sharing his fitness journey of training and chemotherapy over the next few months (I will update on here in case anyone wants to follow)

A little more about Clatterbridge, taken from their page-

-The Centre makes over 220,000 patient contacts to over 30,000 patients a year, offering pioneering chemotherapy, radiotherapy and proton therapy treatments from eighteen operating sites across Merseyside and Cheshire

-Clatterbridge leads the way in how we deliver chemotherapy, using transport funded by the charity to deliver medicine to our network of clinics, bringing cancer treatment closer to patients homes.

-Every single penny raised helps to improve patient experience, as well as funding pioneering research, treatments and services that would otherwise be unavailable.

-Every year, The Clatterbridge Cancer Charity has to raise over £3m to ensure that the best care possible is available to people with cancer throughout Merseyside, Cheshire & beyond.

-It’s thanks to your support that we can be at the forefront of cancer treatments: the latest equipment and technologies are essential to providing our patients with the best possible care. It will perhaps one day lead to a breakthrough that could save even more lives.