Dear All, 

 

Finally, after many years of thinking about it, I have decided to run the 2013 London Marathon - it was a case of now or never! 

 

As many of you may know, in April 2012 I was diagnosed with testicular cancer. I was extremely fortunate in that it was caught very early. I was at Stage 1 and after an operation to remove the tumour, it was confirmed that it had not spread. I was offered a dose of chemotherapy in order to reduce the chance of recurrence from 12% to 4% but chose (with advice from my oncologist) to opt for regular check ups for the next 10 years. So far I have had 3 check ups and the news remains good! 

 

In addition to that, March 2013 marks 20 years since I lost my mum to cancer. She passed away in 1993 from Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about her and I thought there would be no better way to mark 20 years than to run the marathon for the charity which did so much to help her. 

 

Macmillan is a fantastic charity that was a huge help to my family both during and after my mums illness. They provide practical, medical and financial support to all those affected by this terrible disease. 

 

I hope that my story can show you how cancer can affect absolutely anyone. Thankfully, my most recent story has a happy ending. It has spurred me on to train and complete this marathon in the best time possible. I hope that my story may inspire others too.

 

Please give whatever you can and I thank you so much in advance for your support. 

 

Ryan x