I am a consultant surgeon at the University Hospitals North Midlands NHS Trust. I qualified as a doctor in 1996 and have worked for the NHS ever since. My area of expertise is in oesophageal and gastric cancer, and I currently perform major operations and look after patients with this difficult disease in the 7th busiest regional unit in the United Kingdom.

I understand what it means for patients to be given a diagnosis of oesophageal or stomach cancer and the huge impact this diagnosis has on their lives as well as the challenges of life-changing treatment. I also understand that unfortunately it is the minority of patients with oesophageal and gastric cancer to whom I am able to offer potentially curative treatment. There is a huge amount of work to do to raise awareness, improve early diagnosis and research novel targets for therapy to try and improve patient outcomes overall.

I am delighted to contribute to the fantastic work that UHNM Charity do and I think that running the London Half Marathon is a great opportunity to give something back. I know how important UHNM Charity is as a valuable source of information and support for clinicians, patients and carers. The charity helps to deliver the best possible care to over three million people from Staffordshire and surrounding regions. Please donate generously in the knowledge that your money will help to secure state-of-the-art equipment, improvements to patient comfort and experience and potentially life-saving-research. Thank you very much!