Sam’s Story…..

On the 7th, 14th and 21st of April, my very good friend, Tarbs, and I will be running 3 marathons in on 3 consecutive weekends in aid of City Hospice. We will be completing these in Paris, Manchester and the final one being a Virtual London Marathon taking place in Wimborne.

City Hospice are a charity who are very close to my heart. In December 2017 was when I we discovered the charity, as they started providing excellent care for my Dad when he was battling stage 4 metastatic bowel cancer. This was arguably the hardest time that my family and I have ever endured. City Hospice were our rock during this turbulent time. They were always on hand to provide medical care  for Dad, and emotional support for the rest of my family. Devastatingly, just 4 days after my 21st birthday in September 2018, Dad lost his battle with cancer. However, this did not mean the end of our relationship with City Hospice. City Hospice are a charity who care for those living with cancer and other life limiting illnesses, and whilst Dad was gone, we as a family were left devastated by what cancer does to families. From the day after Dad had passed away, to now, City Hospice are still there providing support to my family should we need it. Whether it’s bereavement support,  a charity event to remember loved ones who we have lost, or providing meet ups where families can get together and discuss what they have been through with others in the same situation. We know City Hospice will always be there to support us. Just 12 months after losing my Dad sadly my 87 year old Nan reached the end of her dementia journey and City Hospice who were still supporting us , helped care for her too. She passed away very peacefully just 13 months after Dad

Last year, City Hospice were again at the forefront of support with my God Father, or as most of my close friends know him, ‘Uncle Dave’. He had been fighting and somewhat beating cancer from 2015, until last April, when unfortunately cancer got the better of Uncle Dave, which left us all with another huge hole in our hearts. Whilst this was another massive loss in our lives, City Hospice made sure that Uncle Dave had the best possible care when reaching the end of his life. They ensured he had a medical bed at home so he could be with us and his closest family when it was time to say goodbye, as well as making daily visits to ensure that he was in the least discomfort as possible in the final days.

I would like to say a huge thank you to City Hospice for the unbelievable support that they provided me and my family through these extremely tough times. Not only did they support my Dad and Uncle Dave with the care they provide, but the on-going support to our families as well. Over 1,200 patients each year are cared for by City Hospice as well as support for their families and they need to raise an incredible £2.3 million per year to provide their services.

Any donations, no matter how small you can make, will be greatly appreciated, and will go towards helping the amazing team at City Hospice continue to provide their incredible care to families just like us at a time they need it most.

Tarbs’ Story…..

Sam and my relationship began in 2022 when he joined Wimborne RFC where I was a coach and he a player.

Back in October 2022, at a Halloween party with Sam dressed as a High School Musical Cheerleader and myself as a Zombie, I asked a question to Sam that was the beginning of an incredible friendship based upon mutual respect, love and passions in common. It was simple question of what his tattoo meant, with answer being unpredictably complex. The tattoo was of an ECG and it was to do with the death of his dad. To then find out that his Nan is currently fighting the big C on top of his Uncle Dave passing in 2023, this was clearly a motivation I had been looking for to set up the next challenge.

Ever since knowing Sam we have got on, primarily to begin with as rugby coach and player, but as running partners and now solid friends. The day that I found out about the passing of Uncle Dave, I knew what needed to be done. Sam has always aspired to run a marathon, and he has a much less rounded body shape than me and significantly higher fitness level. Although this may sound arrogant, and in no way would I want it to be just a marathon as this just doesn’t cut it anymore. I proposed the idea of three marathons on three consecutive weekends, and he accepted the challenge.

• PARIS (7th April 2024)

• MANCHESTER (14th April 2024)

• LONDON VIRTUAL (21st April 2024)

The London Virtual stage will be 42 laps of ‘By the Way Field’ in Wimborne, and accompanying use will be ‘THE BATON’. We are looking for people to join us for a minimum of 1 lap/1km to walk/run with the Baton on the final day. These people will be special, as they either will have had cancer, have cancer or been affected directly by somebody else having cancer.

There are approximately 375,000 new cancer diagnosis’ in the UK every year. As we all know, currently there is no cure, and hospices like City Hospice are like gold dust to families of loved ones, providing essential respite care for people suffering form life-limiting illnesses. I know of so many people who are fighting cancer and the strength these people show, as well as others around them are astonishing. I teach students who are dealing with close family members undertaking chemotherapy, friends of children my own son’s age, as well as numerous others from all walks of life. Cancer is quite simply horrible and anything that Sam and I can do to ‘soften the blow’, raise awareness and drum up support of others in these situations, whilst also raising a bit of money will be hugely appreciated.

We are calling it the 3in3! Three marathons in three weeks. We must be crazy!

There will be more stories and posts coming out, but this is just the initial launch of the page. We will be attaching our Strava’s and giving regular updates. Please donate generously to an amazing cause!