My Story
My colleagues at mirus and I had the absolute pleasure of working with Su, a wonderful, caring and bubbly person, who had a heart of gold and spread so much happiness and fun. Sadly Su was taken away from us far too soon due to colon cancer. Inspired by how Su was always giving and forever putting everyone else first, I wanted to make Su proud and give something back. So in her memory I am challenging myself to complete an ultramarathon, completing the 55 mile route of the Taff Trail on Thursday 12th May 2022. The Taff Trail is a beautiful trail following the River Taff along a mixture of riverside paths, mountain climbs, railway paths and forest routes, connecting Su from the Brecon area to mirus in Cardiff. While I am undertaking this challenge friends, family and colleagues at mirus will be supporting me along the route, plus there will be a couple of meeting points where the people we support at mirus will also join me. Su touched the lives of many people so this is going to be a day of remembering and celebrating Su's life. I am hoping people will sponsor me to take on this challenge, with all donations going to Cancer Research UK. Cancer Research UK is a fantastic charity which is close to my heart. It is the world's leading cancer charity which has been making a difference through research. Cancer Research UK funds 50% of all cancer research here in the UK and is the only team fighting over 200 types of cancer. Current information suggests that 1 in 2 people will get cancer in their lifetime but it is Cancer Research UK's ambition to enable 3 in 4 people to survive their cancer, through world-class research making transformative steps in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer. In 2020-21 Cancer Research UK invested £421 million into new and ongoing research projects, including £22 million specifically invested in colon and rectal cancers. They also helped bring bowel cancer screening to the UK, which spots symptoms earlier when treatment is most likely to be successful. COVID-19 has left Cancer Research UK facing one of the biggest challenges in its 108-year history. The charity is expecting a staggering £160 million drop in income in the year ahead and has had to make a £44 million cut to life-saving research funding already because of the pandemic. Without vital donations, millions more could be cut over the coming years. Every day in the lab makes a difference to the lives of people with cancer, research into cancer is facing a crisis so every pound spent on research matters. And the charity is appealing for donations that will help protect as much funding as possible, supporting vital work across the country. Cancer Research UK supports research into all aspects of cancer through the work of over 4,000 scientists, doctors and nurses. The charity’s ground-breaking research is finding new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer. But every step taken towards beating cancer relies on every pound donated. We all know someone who has been affected by this disease and the importance of vital cancer research, clinical trials and treatments. I also want to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms to look out for, particularly of colon cancer, during the coming weeks. To create better treatments for tomorrow and to turn possibilities into realities, I hope you will donate to this amazing charity and support me in undertaking this challenge in Su's memory.
