David Adamson
Dave's Marathon with Viking Boat - 03 May 2020 in Milton Keynes
Fundraising for Children with Cancer UK
Story
Actually, this story isn’t about me per se. I saw the idea of running a marathon with a Viking boat in the paper and promptly scrolled on – that idea is of zero interest to me! As I went to turn the page, 3 words caught my eye, ‘Children with Cancer’. Five minutes later, they had my money and registration.
Why the hell have I done that?! I’m plagued with injuries from previous pathetic attempts at physical efforts and sport, I’m currently unfit and I frankly can’t be arsed.
The reason: To have a conversation with myself or a child with cancer saying “I can’t be bothered with it and my body isn’t great at the minute” is embarrassingly selfish at best. And, I have a choice in it. To have that conversation with someone very, very special to me is impossible. Someone like my niece Lily.
In October 2018 aged 5, Lily’s family learnt she had cancer. One day she was playing with dolls, friends and DIY-kits (she has one of those Dads) and the next she was a patient on a childhood oncology ward. Lily's family life, norms, routines, plans, ambitions and wishes collapsed instantly.
Despite adult cancers receiving 100’s of new drugs since 1980, childhood cancers have only received 4. Childhood cancer treatment is brutal. The side effects are horrible and often life long. Essentially they are just the least bad option.
Childhood cancer breaks all the rules. No matter what we do in life we always “leave the kids out of it”. Childhood cancer doesn’t respect the rules. If cancer were a tangible thing, we’d kick the hell out of it. Imagine childhood cancer were a 6-year-old girl being punched in the face in the street by a middle-aged man? Yea, that guy’d get it.
But it’s not that simple. We’re at the mercy of science, research and development. Me? I’m way too dumb in science to make any form of contribution. So, here I am, running a marathon, with a massive boat, with my misaligned knees, knackered feet, unwavering laziness and little time to train. All because I want to punch childhood cancer in the face – really, really badly – and I don’t have the balls to have “that conversation” with either myself or Lily. Frankly Lily is bigger, harder, stronger and more resilient than all of us put together.
Adult cancers are unfortunate, tragic, devastating – pick your own adjective. Childhood cancer? It’s sick.
All I can do in my helpless state is beg and plead. Children with Cancer know what to do. Whether research or providing essential support to kids with cancer and their families. They convert cash to solutions. Please provide whatever you can. I desperately hope that my relatively pathetic physical contribution [in the grand scheme of things] can inspire you to part with your hard-earned cash.
Right now we just hope that Lily’s battle will be successful and our hearts will melt when she finally gets to ring that end of treatment bell.
Kind regards, all the best, many thanks, etc, etc … but mainly, f**k cancer.
Dave
