On the 19th of January 2023, following tests for what I thought was simply old age catching up with me, and my GP initially suspected could be post viral fatigue, I was diagnosed with stage 3 malignant melanoma.

Prior to my diagnosis I was a keen cyclist but had been growing concerned as I was not able to recover from big rides in the same way that I used to.

The diagnosis was a shock, and I was worried about how cancer treatment would affect my cycling, which was a massive part of my life.

We knew that the melanoma was in my lymph nodes, but I was told that I would need to undergo more tests to try and locate the primary site, and to check if the cancer had further spread into other vital organs. Waiting for the results was an anxious time, and I was massively relieved that the disease had not spread into my lungs, liver, bones, or brain. The doctors suspected that the primary site of cancer was an area of skin on my scalp where I had previously had a mole. I had an excision biopsy which was sent away for testing; but surprisingly, this came back as negative, and we have never found the primary site of the skin cancer.

In March 2023 I underwent surgery at Whiston Hospital to have the lymph nodes on the right side of my neck removed. During surgery they realised the cancer was also in part of my neck muscle, so that was also removed.

The surgery was a success, and after five days I was discharged. We were scheduled to travel home the next day. Our flight home from Liverpool was early in the morning, and I was looking forward to getting back home as my neck was swollen and I felt horrendous.

While we were waiting in departures the flight was delayed. It continued to be delayed throughout the morning, but it was also becoming apparent that I wasn’t doing that well….

After a precarious day at Liverpool Airport, with continued delays (and the fear that I would have to go back to A&E at Whiston Hospital) our flight was cancelled! Fortunately, we managed to rebook an alternative flight home that afternoon. When we landed, we went straight to Ramsey Cottage Hospital, where I was seen by Professor Vaiude and my clinical nurse specialist, Suzy.

They sent me straight to A&E with a note and had also phoned ahead to speak to the consultants to let them know I was coming. I was seen almost immediately and was admitted to Nobles with a post-surgery infection. I was treated with intravenous antibiotics for sepsis for around five days, before finally being allowed home.

Recovery from surgery and the post-surgery infection felt frustratingly slow. I wasn’t able to ride my bike outside for about twelve weeks as I had little movement in my neck and wasn’t able to lift my right shoulder. When I was finally able to progress from the turbo, and ride again properly, it was clear to me that I couldn’t ride my bike in the same way that I used to.

I knew I would have to have post-surgery adjuvant treatment and was hoping that this would be a matter of weeks or months so I could get back to the important business of riding my bike. I was devastated when I was told that I would need to have immunotherapy for around one year.

Cancer treatment and hospital appointments started to feel like a full-time job; and as I already have a full-time job selling inner tubes, it was becoming less and less possible for me to get in any proper training on my bike… which was incredibly frustrating.

I had my first immunotherapy treatment on 23 June 2023, and five weeks later I decided to take up a bit of off road running as an alternative way to keep up my fitness levels. Running felt like it would be less time consuming than cycling, and I was pretty bad at running, so even with treatment, I felt like I had the opportunity to improve rather than regress.

I am fortunate to be able to receive treatment at the oncology unit at Nobles Hospital, so that I don’t have to travel off island each time, but my treatment is given under the supervision of The Clatterbridge Cancer Centre in Liverpool.

Every six weeks I attend the oncology unit at Nobles Hospital as an outpatient, and as long as my blood tests from the day before are okay, I receive an intravenous infusion of pembrolizumab. This drug helps my immune system to identify and kill cancer cells. Even with this treatment there is a significant risk that my melanoma will return, and as well as my continued immunotherapy, I will have regular skin checks and CT/ MRI scans for the foreseeable future. My side effects of pembrolizumab have mostly centred around constant and unrelenting fatigue, but the potential side effects of pembrolizumab are extensive. They can become very serious very quickly, and can start at any time, sometimes weeks, months, or even years after treatment ends.

I recently saw an Instagram post by the Clatterbridge Cancer Charity where they were asking people to run the Liverpool Half Marathon on their behalf. Keeping fit and healthy has helped me manage the side effects of my immunotherapy treatment as best I can.

Since completing Everesting on my bike back in 2018, I have enjoyed having a challenge as a focal point. Being diagnosed with melanoma and undergoing surgery and treatment has deprived me of the ability to get involved in some of the bigger challenges I had been looking forward to. Running the Liverpool Half Marathon is a chance for me to regain focus and to try and help other people undergoing similar treatments to me.

I am running the Liverpool Half Marathon to raise money for Clatterbridge Cancer Centre.

**DUE TO INJURY, I WILL BE WALKING THE HALF MARATHON**

Clatterbridge fund projects like Dr Jessica Hale’s MOTIVATE programme, which aims to provide patients receiving immunotherapy for melanoma a personalised fitness programme to help them reduce tiredness and improve how they feel while having treatment.

Instances of melanoma are on the rise globally, and I am running the Liverpool Half Marathon because I want to support Clatterbridge in their fight against cancer.

Immunotherapy has dramatically changed the way that melanoma is treated, and checkpoint inhibitors are responsible for the increasing survival rate for patients with metastatic melanoma.

Every single penny donated can help fund vital research into the latest innovations in cancer therapies like mine.

Please donate if you can.