A couple of days before I ran London Marathon last year I found out that one of my oldest school friends Anthony Gough had been diagnosed with Stage 3 bowel cancer at the age of only 45. Just over a week after my Marathon he was having major surgery (colon resection and also excision of another tumour on his neck).

When I heard his devastating news I had already committed to raising money for another charity but vowed that if I ran another Marathon it would be for a bowel cancer charity.

Anthony has been to countless hospital appointments since then and has only very recently had the results of genetic testing which have confirmed he has Lynch Syndrome.

Lynch syndrome is an inherited condition that increases a person’s risk of developing colorectal cancer and other forms of cancer before the age of 50 years.

As many as 1 in 278 people live with Lynch syndrome, but only 5% know that they have the condition.

Anthony has increased risk of further tumours developing. He will therefore need to have lifelong surveillance.

Anthony is a very sociable, likeable person who gives a lot to other people. It would be great if together through sponsoring me to run this Marathon we can give something back to the charity that has supported him.

Lynch Syndrome UK is a charity association run by people living with Lynch syndrome. They aim to ensure people and their families affected by Lynch Syndrome are provided with support in the form of information, signposting and listening, also to increase public awareness of the syndrome, educating members of the general public and health care professionals and providing support for Lynch Syndrome research projects.

We'd be massively grateful for any donation, no matter how small.

Anja

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