This is Bob. Bob is 56 years old. Bob is a husband to Janie, a father to Lily and Lark, a fantastic friend and an all round good guy.

It was only in October 2017 that the nagging back ache Bob was suffering from started to get a bit more than painful. By January Bob was getting worse, work colleagues told him he really should go home as he looked absolutely rubbish. By Thursday 18th January 2018 Bob had been diagnosed with advanced stage Myeloma Cancer. The cancer had started in his lower back and had eaten away his sacral bone in his lower back. A further scan showed that the myeloma was not just present in Bob's torso but in his arms, legs and skull. It is not curable.

Bob has had 4 rounds of chemotherapy, he has had numerous rounds of radiotherapy to "spot weld" the more stubborn areas of Myeloma and his Myeloma has indeed reduced. One of his team described it to me as the Myeloma "running and hiding" but it will learn to fight back and one day it will win.

Bob is currently undergoing a stem-cell transplant which will, hopefully, give him a chance at some more precious time with his family. The transplant process is long and arduous and will involve 4 weeks in isolation as his immune level will be at zero. This will mean limited contact with the family he adores as he must not get any infections.

I have known Bob for over 20 years, my wife and I are god-parents to his and Janie's Children, Lily who is 14 and Lark who is 10. Their whole family is devastated by the impact this is having on all of them. Bob is always first to sign up for a charity bike ride, always the one building the grotto for the Christmas PTA fund-raiser, the "go to" chap for anything DIY. A great neighbour and a great friend - if you need anything doing - Bob is your man!

Some of you may have donated to a rise and recline chair that we bought for Bob and has been a god send. I am now asking for more help for Bob. Can we all pull together again for this great chap??

I have decided to run a marathon to raise money for Bob and his family. I am running the "Rock 'n Roller" Washington DC Marathon on the 9th March 2019. I have paid my own entry fee and have paid for my own hotel and flight. I have also started the training!! Just think....26.2 miles at just above freezing!! I will do all the hard work - all I need you to do is dig deep and donate as much as you can afford. Just remember, when we all woke up this morning we could all go for a run, go for a walk, perhaps a swim or take our family to lunch, or a spot of shopping!! All normal things that are luxuries to Bob as he cannot do any of those things.

Thank you for reading, and if you choose to donate, heartfelt thanks to you.