Story

Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page. Last year we completed a 119 mile walk - I would like to say a huge Thank you to all who supported us.  We raised a whopping £6,000.00! This year I am running the Great North Run...yes I am crazy but its all for a good cause... The Great North Run taskes place on the 18th September 2011, I am running with the Christies Charity - again I am asking for your support, so please dig deep and sponser. Ryan you are always in our hearts! Ryan's Story Ryan Harrison passed away at the young age of 37 on the 28th June 2009.  For the last few months of his life Ryan battled Metastatic Melanoma. Ryan had a tiny cancerous freckle removed 7 years previous, 5 years after the freckle was removed Ryan was given the all clear. In October 2008 Ryan discovered a small lump on his stomach just above his belly button, this lump grew over a couple of months to the size of a golf Ball. During this time another lump appreared on his neck in the same place as the cancerous freckle which had been removed 7 years previous. Ryan went from being a very energetic person who after coming home from work as a builder, went on long bike rides, attended the gym twice a week, did martial arts & sparring weekly, to having no energy after work and spent his evenings lying on the sofa. In March 2009 we were told Ryan was Terminally ill with Metastatic Melanoma,  some of the original cancerous freckle Ryan had removed must have been left behind, this had got into Ryans blood stream and spread throughout his body. Ryan had a very difficult battle, I watched Ryan quickly deteriorate, he was in constant pain, most of it he tried to hide from us.  Ryan was always physical strong but during those last few months we saw a different strength, he fought and fought, for the first time Ryan looked at old people with envy!  Ryans limbs started to fail as tumours grew and rested on nerves causing even more pain. I have never witnessed anyone in so much pain, cancer is an evil disease it just takes over, Ryan commented to his mother one day that he felt like he was being eaten alive. Ryan started with 2 visible tumours, when Ryan passed away he had over 60 visible tumours covering his body, how many internally I would not like to know. Ryan had sweats, sleepless nights writhing in pain, sickness, its hard to believe all this and more is caused by the sun/sun beds. In the end Ryan suffered a perforated bowel, a tumour had ruptured and Ryan got septicaemia, Ryan was in no pain in his last 24 hours of life, bizarrly Ryan passed away peacefully. After Thought If Ryan had known his vanity at needing to be brown, would leave his mum & dad without a son, his wife without a husband and his treasured little boy without a daddy .  He would have lived differently, we cant turn back the clock, but we can make people aware. Being aware can save lives and unnecessary heart ache. Be aware  - Love your skin!