Nick's London Marathon 2022
Nicholas Heap is raising money for PROSTATE CANCER UK
In memory of David Heap
Story
Hi Everyone,
This year I will be running the London Marathon for Prostate Cancer UK in loving memory of my Dad, David, who we sadly lost to Prostate Cancer in September 2021. Dad decided to get himself tested in February 2020 following the earlier diagnosis of my father-in-law, Phil, who thankfully caught the cancer early but is continuing to live with the disease. Dad had no symptoms whatsoever and it was a huge shock to learn that he had prostate cancer which had also unfortunately spread to his pubic bone, meaning the cancer was incurable.
Whilst we hoped that he would be with us for an extended period of time with the help of a gruelling course of radiotherapy treatment and other therapies, devastatingly the cancer spread aggressively to his liver, pancreas and lungs in the Summer of 2021 and after a short but very heroic battle to hang on as long as he could in extremely difficult circumstances, he passed away surrounded by his family on 5th September 2021. Dad was such a brilliant, smart, generous, loving and inspirational man. Needless to say, his loss has left a massive hole in our family and the last couple of years have been extremely difficult for us.
Unfortunately for my Dad, his diagnosis came too late and if he had been tested earlier there is a strong likelihood that he would still be with us. For this reason, I would encourage all men over the age of 50 to contact their local GP and ask to be tested and not to leave it too late, as was the case with my Dad.
I'm raising money for this brilliant cause to help fund lifesaving research and support for men and their families affected by prostate cancer. I also hope that in a small way I can help raise awareness of the disease and make a difference. The minimum target is a fairly ambitious sum of £4,000 so any donations would really mean a lot to myself, my family, and all the others out there fighting prostate cancer.
Thanks for reading and for your support
Nick x