In January 2024, I found a lump on my neck. The doctors weren’t concerned and told me it was likely a result of a cold and my lymph nodes swelling up but my local pharmacist strongly believed it was something serious. 2 months, multiple biopsies and scans later, I was diagnosed with Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (the same as my hero, Mark Hoppus), an aggressive type of blood cancer which can be lethal in weeks or months without treatment. Fortunately, it was caught at stage 1, which was incredibly lucky, as this type spreads so fast it’s usually found at stages 3 and 4.

I had 3 months of R-CHOP chemotherapy and immunotherapy and it honestly was the biggest challenge I’ve ever faced. Although it wasn’t always easy, I stayed positive thanks to the incredible support of my family and friends. In August, I was officially diagnosed as being in complete remission… although there was something weird with my thyroid that needed checking. The relief was short-lived as they then believed that I could have a completely different type of cancer and, again, I had to have multiple biopsies. All of them came back with mixed results and so, 3 days before Christmas, I had a hemithyroidectomy to be 100% sure. I’m pleased to say that the results came back benign and I am officially now cancer-free and recovering well. My hair even grew back curly, which was awesome!

I’m running the Great West Run half marathon on May 25th 2025 in order to raise money for FORCE Exeter, who provide critical care and support for those afflicted with this brutal disease. The worst part of all of this was seeing just how sick other people were during my chemo sessions and FORCE work so hard to help the patients and their families. Please, donate what you can and, if you can’t, then all I ask is that you share this post to help raise money.

I’ve done this run before but my body is still recovering from the chemo as well as the surgery and I also have a knee injury, so this run will be incredibly challenging. Thank you for your support and I'll see you at the finish line.