In March 2020, during the week of my 19th Birthday and the day before the UK went into lockdown, I was diagnosed with Stage IV Hodgkin Lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system which forms part of the body’s immune system. To treat the cancer, I underwent 6 months of chemotherapy at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester and thanks to their incredible TYA team I am now in remission.

Before the end of 2023, I will be taking on 3 challenges across 3 continents to raise money for Cancer Research UK.

• September (Completed): Mount Kilimanjaro with my Dad, the tallest mountain in Africa at 5,895m.

• November (Completed): TCS New York City Marathon with my sister Roisín.

• December (Completed): 100km Ultra Marathon in 24 hours in the UK with my friend Jorge.

Without an effective treatment, my diagnosis would have left me with less than a year to live so it’s thanks to the amazing work of cancer research charities that I am able to do these events. The fight against cancer is a global one, with CRUK on a mission to beat cancer as quickly as possible. The aim is to ensure that one day, the 1 in 2 people that will receive a cancer diagnosis during their lifetime can experience the incredible feeling of beating the disease. However, with survival rates ranging from 1%-98% between cancer types, there is still a long way to go in the fight and progress can only be made with funding.

The incredible generosity people showed during our previous fundraiser helped raise crucial funds for the Paterson Building, a brand new cancer research centre at The Christie Hospital that is amongst the best in the world. Any donations for this challenge will go 100% to supporting similarly crucial projects for CRUK.

A massive thank you to everyone who contributes in any way they can; whether that be through donating or sharing my story with family and friends.