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Following the tragic news in December 2011, my colleague Colin sadly lost his wife Joanne to cancer. Joanne always wished to help raise money for the people who helped her during her illness however she never got well enough. I'm helping Colin and his family carry out her wish and running in the London Marathon 2013 in memory of Joanne for Cancer Research UK. Having lost two close relatives to cancer this charity is close to my heart.

A note from Colin.

My wife Joanne (35) was diagnosed with a malignant melanoma in April last year which started from a mole on her arm. Once it was diagnosed she had the mole excised, however scans showed it had spread to one of her lungs and vertebrate. We knew at this point it was incurable but the hope was it could be managed. She was asked to take part in a new drug trial, which she accepted. This process required preliminary scans and one showed that it had spread to her brain. She was admitted to the trial program and was making good progress, with the tumour sizes reducing on the lung and vertebrate. Regrettably it had little effect on the spots on her brain and this finally took its toll and she passed away in December last year.

 

She was a great mum to our kids Jamie (nearly 8) and Lucy (nearly 2 now). She was an intensive care nurse at the local hospital and had such a caring nature, and as such always wanted to try and help others.  

 

One of Joanne’s intentions was to do a fundraising event for Cancer research, however she never got the chance. After she passed, the rest of the family pulled together and organized a Funday in her memory. It was held on the weekend closest to her birthday in May this year at Joanne’s cousin’s farm, with fantastic weather that helped make the day the success it was. The family and friends all helped organize different events including a raffle, tombola, hay bale toss, , bouncy castle, tractor rides, beer tent and much more. Over the day between 250 – 350 people came through the gates and with everything calculated, we raised a total of £9033.36p, way over what we had ever anticipated.

 

The cheque was collected by a Professor from the research unit where Joanne was treated. It was very much appreciated, and he went on to tell us about how they rely on donations like this and what advances the unit were making because of them. This is why I would like everyone to support Steve in his run in the London Marathon, It’s a very worthwhile cause and the charity really does rely on this kind of fundraising, especially in the current financial climate. This kind of work is the best hope for solutions to cancer in the future. Thanks a lot Steve, it really is appreciated.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.

For text donations please use charity code TIWD66