On 25th September 2012, a group of bright eyed, bushy tailed teenagers moved into their uni halls, ready to start their first year at the Royal Agricultural College, Cirencester.

Over the next 3 years we became the closest of friends and life was filled with adventures, some repeatable, many not! Will was always a key part of this, wherever there was fun (and occasionally trouble..) Will would be found, always with his excellent sense of humor, unwavering loyalty to his friends and his uncanny ability to find a point for debate in an empty room.

On 23 November 2024, after battling aplastic anemia and leukemia for many years, Will died, with his family and his beloved spaniel Ginny at his side.

This year, almost 13 years to the day that we met, I will be running the Cheltenham Half Marathon. I absolutely hate running, I find it really hard, but sometimes in life we need reminders that we can do hard things.

Will truly is the inspiration behind this. Will did hard things. He never complained, never let his illness define him and lived every moment of his life, no matter the challenges he faced.

In November, whilst undergoing treatment at Addenbrookes Hospital, Will received a stem cell transplant. Stem cell transplants are a key line of treatment for those suffering with blood cancer, with DKMS the biggest stem cell register in the UK. Signing up to the register is free, with the £40 it costs to process each potential donor's cells covered by the charity.

If you've got through this particular half marathon of a JustGiving page and feel able to donate, please do.

If you're not able to donate today, please consider going to https://www.dkms.org.uk/get-involved/become-a-donor and registering to become a donor.