What we are doing and why

We have decided to take on the challenge of walking the 100 miles of the South Downs Way in 8 days to try and raise some money for the The Royal Marsden, as some small gratitude for everything they have done for our family. 

My lovely stepdad Martin got diagnosed with an incurable leiomyosarcoma almost 7 years ago. His care was very quickly moved under the Marsden where he has undergone a myriad of treatments to try and slow the progress of this horrific disease. Throughout his time with them, everyone, from the nurses who have looked after him on chemo days to the oncology team who have coordinated his entire treatment plan, have treated him with an unwavering kindness, professionalism and dignity and made a really horrible situation a little bit easier to bear. 

The Marsden have helped extend the time we have had with him by months and years; let us enjoy holidays away, cozy Christmases at home, evenings in watching films together as a family and even allowed him to see me play rugby for the first time earlier this year which meant the world to me. Nothing I can say will put into words how thankful we are to have been able to spend these moments together as a family.

As of 2 weeks ago, Martin's care has come to an end at The Marsden as the cancer is too advanced; we have been told we don't have very much time left. These next few weeks and months are going to be utter hell but it will be some small comfort in knowing we are doing our own tiny thing to try and help. 

The Route

Holly is being expert route planner and is in the process of working out how many miles we need to cover each day and booking spaces at camp sites along the way. We will add the details over the next few weeks and if anyone is in the area, feel free to join us for a stretch! 

What the RMCC does

The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity raises money solely to support The Royal Marsden, a world-leading cancer centre. We ensure our nurses, doctors and research teams can provide the very best care and develop life-saving treatments, which are used across the UK and around the world. From funding state-of-the-art equipment and groundbreaking research, to creating the very best patient environments, we will never stop looking for ways to improve the lives of people affected by cancer.