Updated on Jan 31st 2011 at 11:09 PM from the JustGiving API
Seriously guys, have been overwhelmed with the donations recently. Thank you very much, it means alot (and also means I'll definitely be doing it now!) :)
Hi guys,
My very good friend Steven Ellis from Llannefydd, North Wales was diagnosed with melanoma in June 2006. You wouldn't have guessed it... He dealt with it like he faced anything that was a challenge in his life.
Sadly in May 2010, after 4 years of treatment, Steve died. He was 29. He is, and will be sorely missed by everyone.
However, his fantastic zest for life and adventure still lives on in people who knew him. So I plan on putting that to good use…a little about that in a minute.
While he was in hospital, Steve received the most amazing care from so many medical professionals. Professor Dalgleish and his team at The Cancer Vaccine Institute (CVI) in London are working on various aspects of improving the survival rate of melanoma patients by using many alternative treatments to boost the immune response to kill cancer cells, and the use of chemotherapy combined with immunotherapy.
The support given by Professor Dalgleish gave Steve and his family great hope and enabled them to enjoy the last 4 years of Steve's life. He was always there, positive and ready with an alternative treatment.
In light of this, I plan on doing something special to honour the hard work that is carried out everyday by these amazing people, and to Steve - and the many happy memories we made all over the world.
The Challenge (s) I have set myself to train for, and complete:
Sunday 15th May – BUPA Great Manchester Run
10 kilometres through the centre of Manchester.
Sunday 21st May - Gothenburg Half Marathon, Sweden
Having never done a half marathon before, I figured the worlds biggest would be a good place to tick that box. Training will be hard, and a lot of work.
Friday/Saturday 18/19 June - Vätternrundan, Sweden
Having never owned a road bike, I thought it was high time to buy one and enter myself in a race. All I knew was that I wanted to do something that truly pushed my boundaries. So I have entered myself in a 300 km race (186.41 miles to us) that follows the shoreline of Lake Vättern in central Sweden. My start time is 11.30pm and I am expecting to cycle through the night and into Saturday, with an 'expected' finishing time 15 hours later.
I have lost a close friend, who I knew from when we were young. Although this wont change the past, completing this challenge I have set myself will contribute to Professor Dalgleish continuing with his invaluable work to save lives from this awful disease and give other friends and families hope.
Steve wrote a letter to his family before he died, and a part of it read,
"You control how you react to different situations and I ask you to react positively to this one".
That pretty much sums the guy up.
Cheers,
Christian
