My dad, Tim, was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2018. He went through a fair few rounds of chemo and surgery to remove the tumour successfully before we finally received the news that it had returned, spread, and could no longer be treated to be cured. At the time he was given 2 years, but he surpassed that with continued chemo. 

Dad managed to attend my brothers wedding in October 2022, and shortly after this we received news that the cancer had spread further and he had up to 12 months left, if he went back on aggressive chemotherapy. Dad made the difficult decision to stop receiving treatment which gave a prognosis of 3-6 months. 

Dad stayed strong until the end, wanting to make sure that we would be ok and wouldn’t have too much to deal with when he passed. 

He made it through Christmas, commenting that the traditional Christmas Eve beef joint smelt really good and he might even try to have some with a bit of potato (he didn’t!). We set up camp in his room at night to make sure we were all there for him if he needed us, sometimes staying up till the early hours waiting for Marie Curie nurses to come out to make him more comfortable. 

Tim sadly passed away on the 5th January at the age of 63, at home, with myself, brother, our mum (his wife), our two dogs and my brother’s wife all around him. 

He suffered a lot towards the end, but the treatment and support he received from the Macmillan nurses had been wonderful from the very beginning. They were there to support all of us. 

I’m taking on this Mighty Hike to not only challenge and motivate myself, but to walk in memory of my dad who loved the coast, and to raise money for a wonderful charity and all the wonderful people who work for them.