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In October 2016 my Brother in law Matthew was diagnosed with Stage 4 Bowel Cancer at the age of 36. This was a shock on a seismic level for Matt and our family. Although Bowel Cancer is often associated with older people, I hope by reading this people can learn and understand that Bowel Cancer is not defined by age and can affect anyone.

With little time for Matt to understand the implications, course of treatment or even begin to process what he was being told - he was whisked in for Major surgery within days of his diagnosis, in order to remove the tumour from his bowel. 

While still trying to come to terms with the news and process what was happening, Matthew was now recovering from surgery. Weak but positive he was now getting used to his stoma bag - something that could be reversed if things went to plan.

At this point, Matt's life has been completely flipped upside down out of nowhere. Not once did he whinge or moan - he just got on with fighting things head on and on his terms, with amazing support from his girlfriend Shelagh.

After a successful operation, the end of November 2016 saw Matt take on a course of chemotherapy. Again he took this in his stride in his own unique way. He never complained, just smiled, rolled up his sleeves and got stuck in. I'm sure behind closed doors at home, Matt went through darker times, not sleeping, understandably worrying and in pain. However it sums up the type of man he is, putting his family and friends worries in front of his own.

Chemo had gone well....the remaining cells had shrunk considerably. As a result Matt could now plan for Liver surgery in Birmingham, to remove the area of his liver that the Cancer had spread to. Matt went in for surgery for this in April 2017. After liver surgery Matt was told that he wouldn't need any further chemotherapy and a later scan confirmed that he was now Cancer Free.

This was still not the end of the road for Matt. After the best part of 18 months, he still had to have his stoma removed and bowel re-attached. Matt went in for surgery again on 5th March 2018 in Hereford, an operation which went extremely well and what Matt made look like a walk in the park.

Matt is now fully recovered from his final operation, and getting his life back after 18 months of fighting Bowel Cancer. It is difficult to put into words how all of our family feel about Matt and what he has been through. He is our hero and we couldn't be prouder of how he has dealt with all these things that have been thrown at him. 

We are eternally grateful for the support he has received throughout the last 18 months. For this reason, I am running the London Marathon in April for Bowel Cancer UK. Bowel Cancer UK enable and fund vital research, provide information and support to patients and their families. They educate the public and professionals about the disease and campaign for early diagnosis and best treatment and care for all. Their aim is to save lives and improve the quality of life and support for all those affected by bowel cancer in the UK


Running 26.2 miles feels like quite some distance to me, however it pales into insignificance when you consider the journey Matt has been through. I am aware, we live in a time where people are always asking for donations and support for their respective charities. But please if you can support Bowel Cancer UK, I would be extremely grateful for anything that you can donate. It is a charity very close to my families heart.

Thanks for reading

Jonny

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. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.