Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. 

I'm going to be digging deep for this. Please do the same because it's a shit disease which affects so many. Early diagnosis is key, and research could provide a game changer which everyone benefits from.

My Story

In May 2018 I returned from a mountain trek in Nepal and soon after began to suffer from stomach cramps. Although unrelated, this forced me to the GP where I was eventually diagnosed with bowel cancer - a well advanced large tumour which had invaded my stomach and was also starting to affect the spleen and pancreas. This all happened only 9 months after losing my sister Cathy to stomach cancer.

To cut a long story short, I underwent an urgent ileostomy creation to relieve the blockage in my large intestine (good way to lose weight, not eating for a month), then a very major operation during which the surgeons removed a large part of my bowel, and part of my stomach amongst other procedures. 34 staples held me together. Finally, and thanks to the amazing skill of the surgical team at UHCW, I have had a stoma reversal in mid April. The wound should be healed within 8 weeks. Fingers crossed everything else works ok.

My 'Triple Trail Therapy'

1. Snowdon Trail Marathon is on 14 July. 26.2 miles around then over the summit of Snowdon - Plan: check wound is healed then grizz it out and beat the cut offs. UTMB Points = 2
2. PARAS10 TAB is on 7th September. 10 miles on the Catterick Training Area in boots, with bergen - Plan: match P coy time of 1:50 and try not to let the 35lb bergen burst any stitches :)
3. Exmoor Coast 50 is on 5th October. 55k up and down the SW Coastal Path from Coombe Martin to Minehead - Plan: Enjoy the scenery and try to average 4mph. UTMB points = 3

The last couple of years have been a pointed reminder of just how temporary our stay here is. I intend to get right back to what I love the most, and I hope you can too. 

Thanks for reading, and thanks for donating if you're able to. Good health, and see you 'on the hills'.

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