In February of 2017, whilst on a family holiday to Dubai,  we met up with our life long, larger than life friends Stuart & Lorna Marshall who had moved to the Middle East some years earlier for work and to enjoy what warmer climates had to offer.

Shortly after we arrived Stu told us how he had been having some tests done as he'd been feeling tired and was suffering from a severe loss of appetite, which in turn was causing him to lose weight.

Despite feeling unwell, he still met with us and spent much of his time making sure we were enjoying ourselves and doing all he could to make our stay a memorable one.

Anyone that had the privilege of meeting Stu would know that all he was interested in was making sure the people around him were having fun and enjoying themselves, even if he himself wasn’t feeling up to it at the time.

After we headed back home to England Stu was rushed into hospital where he underwent a further series of tests….  Sadly the diagnosis was that he had early signs of Non-Hodkin Lympoma (a disease that attacks the immune system).

Despite the shocking news Stuart had just received, he decided to remain positive throughout his treatment, never complaining or moaning, and tackling every day head on from start to finish.
His fantastic sense of humour never waned either. Even when told his heart was too weak to cope with yet more intense chemotherapy, he joked  that he’d requested they replace his with the heart of a rhino! '

His treatment was rigorous. Often being told that he would have to come back for yet more chemo, each bout stronger than the last...  Blood transfusions followed a marrow transplant and his strength began to suffer.

We watched as a once, big strong, strapping man (a man that used to protect us in so many ways) slowly but surely started to lose his battle with this horrific disease… In the lead up to his passing we were still receiving messages of positivity from him. Even if he now knew that his time might be limited, he didn’t want anyone else worrying about him.

Sadly on Saturday the 13th October Stuart passed away quietly in his hospital bed having said his goodbyes to those close around him.

My brother Ed and I have decided to take up the challenge of running the London Marathon to help raise money to fight these horrific Blood related cancers that affect so many of us in different ways .

There are over 100 different types of blood cancer and related conditions. Some groups like leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma are more familiar, but others such as myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) are much less well-known.

I list a few scary statistics of this awful disease - that we can all help fight against in one way, shape or form ...

* Every year in the UK, around 40,000 people are diagnosed with blood cancer.

* Blood cancer is the most common type of cancer amongst children, teenagers and young people in the UK.

* There are around 240,000 people living with blood cancer in the UK.

* Blood cancer is the third biggest cancer killer in the UK, claiming the lives of more than 15,000 people each year - more than breast cancer or prostate cancer.

* 3 out of every 10 blood cancer cases in England are diagnosed after presenting to the NHS as an emergency.