Introducing Team Patronus .......
Our team consists of Magnus Weighton, Malcolm Burns, Hannah Baker, Jessica Baker and Caroline Cooper We are running the Royal Parks Half Marathon to raise money for Cancer Research UK. Cancer has touched us all in the last 12 months – and in fact there are very few people who are lucky enough to go through life without some exposure to this disease – either directly or indirectly. However thanks to the likes of Cancer Research more and more people and being treated effectively and are getting on with their lives. This is to say thank you.
What specifically prompted us to put this team together is the diagnosis last year of Iain Cooper with squamous cell carcinoma of the tonsil. He found a lump in his neck in March and after consulting Google (as most men do apparently!) realised that it could be serious. Within weeks he was formally diagnosed and as the cancer had spread into the lymph nodes in his neck, needed a gruelling round of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. In December however a scan gave us the news we’d all been waiting for, he was clear of cancer. He is now well on the road to recovery. During the time that Iain was recovering from his treatment, his brother-in – law Mark Baker (Hannah and Jess’s father) was also diagnosed with cancer. He has just completed his radiotherapy. They both approached their diagnosis and treatment with humour and bravery that was quite humbling to observe and are both now getting back to their normal larger than lives selves. Hannah and Jess's mum, Jane Baker was also diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007. She went through her treatment with incredible fortitude and typical lack of fuss and drama. I am proud to be her sister.
Malcolm last year lost his uncle, Bruce Henry and has since then regularly donated platelets as transfusions of platelets were a key part of his treatment. Of course there are many others that we could mention that have not been so fortunate as Mark and Iain. However with the help of Cancer Research and others like them more and more people will be treated successfully. One day while sitting outside the hospital we met a lovely woman still connected to her chemotherapy who said she didn’t want to sit on any more “in memory” benches. Instead she planned to donate one saying “Thanks for the treatment – I’m still alive and kicking and off to get on with my life”.
So please donate what you can. Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate –We’ll raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
Thank you so much for visiting our page.
Caroline, Malcolm, Magnus, Hannah and Jess
