3 years ago I was diagnosed with stage 3 kidney cancer and on 19 November 2020 my right kidney was removed.

As you can probably imagine a cancer diagnosis never comes at a good time, but during the depths of Covid it was even less welcome as hospitals faced severe restrictions and the need to avoid contracting Covid was even more imperative to guarantee my operation took place as planned.

After a successful operation, I then underwent a year of immunotherapy to try to reduce the likelihood of the cancer returning as a participant in a clinical trial which was part-funded by Kidney Cancer UK.

These were challenging times and there are many people who deserve and have received my thanks for their love and support during that time. And now three years later I feel ready both to talk about it more widely, and to give back.

So, to commemorate the three year anniversary of becoming a single-kidneyed human and raise funds for Kidney Cancer UK, on the 18th and 19th of November I will be walking 100km on the Devon/Cornwall border going from north to south in a ‘coast-to-coast’ challenge.

And for those of you who don’t really care about long walks and endurance events (for me at least), at the end of it I will be shaving my hair off which has not been cut in over three years, when I last had two kidneys.

Every penny counts so please do consider supporting this amazing charity which has helped me be alive today.

Kidney Cancer UK is the UK’s leading specialist kidney cancer charity here to listen, inform & support kidney cancer patients carers and their families.

Amongst the many things they do with the vital funds raised through your generous support includes raising awareness, highlighting the importance of early diagnosis and supporting research into of a disease that sees over 12,500 diagnoses every year and almost 5,000 people lose their lives. This has to stop.

Thank you for your support.