My name is Kelly Stabb and I am 38 years old. I am married to Simon and we have two sons. Jake is 10 years old and Luke is 8.

I have always considered myself to be relatively fit and healthy and have been involved in various sports for most of my life, running half marathons and a 23 mile cross country run being my greatest achievement.

In January 2017 after being unwell for a few weeks I was given a CT scan. Nothing could have prepared me for the update delivered by a nurse who sat on my bed and explained that a cancerous tumour had been found in my upper colon, and several cancerous tumours were evident in my liver. I was diagnosed with advanced stage 4 bowel cancer. I was completely devastated and the update was life changing. I will never forget that night spent in hospital and the conversations that I had with Simon. He is not only my husband but also my best friend. That night changed us both and he has dealt with and juggled so much this year. He’s a real good one and how he has coped with this I will never know. I had emergency surgery the next day and 6 months later had 60% of my liver removed. I’ve had 6 months chemotherapy this year and recently found out I’m still not cancer free. I am now awaiting a further operation in 2018, more chemotherapy and then hopefully I’ll be fixed.

Since my diagnosis I am so grateful for the medical treatment that I have received. I have researched bowel cancer and learnt a considerable amount about the charities behind the scenes that have played a major part in improving bowel cancer treatment and survival rates. The research conducted and treatment I have received has saved my life.

I now have an over whelming feeling to give something back and want to raise as much money as possible for a very deserving charity ‘Bowel Cancer West’. This is an essential Charity which was founded to improve survival rates of people with bowel cancer in the South West. Their key aims are to increase awareness of bowel cancer, train health professionals and fund valuable research that is South West led and internationally recognised.

Colorectal (bowel) cancer is Britains 2nd biggest cancer killer but only ranks 4th for cancer diagnosis. This means that a higher proportion of those who are diagnosed do not survive. BCW are currently looking to raise £10,000 to improve outcomes for young patients with bowel cancer. This is clearly very close to my heart.

Unfortunately young patients (those under 40) often present an advanced stage of the disease, requiring major surgery which can lead to worse treatment outcomes and a higher chance of the cancer reoccurring. With funds raised, BCW will bring together some of the top medical and engineering brains in the UK to assess the latest technology to be used in the region to improve survival rates of the disease.

In order to attempt to raise my target of £10,000 I am planning various events in 2018 with the help of a few friends. Simon, myself and my sister in law Sam Tyrrell, along with several friends will be running the Edinburgh marathon on Sunday 27th May 2018. It is likely that I will still be having cancer treatment but I am determined to complete it. I am also planning a charity ball on the 9th June and our sons are planning various events at their school to help to raise money.

Our friend, Steve Taylor has created a particularly difficult challenge for himself to raise money towards my target. Most would find this physically impossible. Steve is planning to run 7 marathons in 7 consecutive days, starting on Sunday 28th January 2018 and completing his last run on Saturday 3rd February 2018. He will finish his last few miles at the Park Run at Torbay Leisure Centre in Paignton. I cannot thank Steve enough for what will be an extremely difficult challenge to raise money for BCW.

Any sponsorship that you can afford towards supporting us with our challenges in 2018 will be greatly appreciated. Anything over my target i intend to donate to the Ricky Grant unit at Torbay Hospital who provide care for cancer patients.

I have set up a ‘Just giving page’ if you are able to make a donation. Please click on this link and give what you can justgiving.com/crowdfunding/kellystabb

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. Your support means the world to me.

I will ensure to include updates on this page of everything we are doing.

A massive thank you in advance.

Kelly xx