Hello,

I am training to run the London Marathon in April 2024 to raise money for Bowel Research UK. This is a national medical research charity dedicated to funding new treatments and potential cures for bowel cancer, inflammatory bowel disease and other bowel disorders. The charity’s goal is to save lives while also enabling people living with chronic bowel conditions to enjoy a much better quality of life.

In July 2022, aged 64, my wonderful dad Chris was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer, with secondaries in both his liver and his lungs. Following this devastating diagnosis, it was made clear that his only option was palliative care and he started chemotherapy in the September.

He was fortunate enough to be offered genomic testing prior to commencing his treatment so was able to have a personalised treatment plan. A year on he had responded so well to chemotherapy that in July 2023 he had major bowel surgery to remove the tumours from his bowel.

The surgery he had this summer was something we had never thought would be possible a year earlier. It is thanks to charities such as Bowel Research UK conducting groundbreaking and vital research that this was even an option. He has also been able to continue to enjoy activities he loves, in particular walking the Lakeland fells with his beloved golden retrievers, Inca, Maggie and Luna.

His diagnosis was devastating for us as a family especially as he had done his bowel tests at aged 60 and 63 which were both negative, and therefore this was completely unexpected. He has remained resilient, brave and determined to fight it throughout and supported well by family and friends.

I hope that by running the London Marathon I can both show him how proud we are of him and to help raise funds for this amazing cause. 

I would also like to be able to help others in the same situation be offered a personalised treatment plan, which was Dame Deborah James’ incredible legacy, and of course to enable further research to continue into improving early diagnosis.

Any amount you’re able to please donate will be immediately put to good use by Bowel Research UK to work towards ending bowel cancer and bowel disease. Thank you so much.