Chris's Race for Life

I am running this 10k Race for Life in memory of my father in law, who sadly lost his battle with cancer 11 years ago. In 2019, the recollection of the heartache and sadness that cancer causes all came flooding back when we discovered that my mum, our Queen and the backbone of our family, had been diagnosed with kidney cancer, which unfortunately had already metastasized and spread into her spine. Then began the most difficult battle of her life, which I am proud to say, no matter how weak she gets, she remains committed to the fight. After two major operations, including the removal of her kidney and the restructuring of her spine which left her bedridden in the supine position for over 8 weeks, she continues to fight on. With the use of a chemo drug which made her sick, took away her ability to taste and eventually took away her love for life, she still continues to fight on. Whatever challenge she faces, she stays fighting strong and shows us all what strength really means. I have wanted to do this for years now, but it was only since I accommodated my mum to a few recent radiotherapy appointments and was reminded of the toll it has been taking on her, that I decided to finally prioritise it and help make a change. I have other runners partaking in the same cause, but with different goals such as helping those who are financially struggling due to their diagnosis and all the burdens it brings. However, what I've realised with my experience is, until we find a cure to this life-altering disease, we won't be able to rest. I believe it is imperative we find better solutions to change the 1 in 2 statistic and the sooner we start, the better. Maybe if more of us took the step to make a change a long time ago, I wouldn't have had to sit with my mum and watch her eyes fill with sadness as the doctors delivered the news that her cancer was incurable. You never truly understand how devastating something is until you go through it yourself. My aim is to prevent others from feeling the way we and many others feel now, and to help save lives taken too early. I recently wrote a book themed around better use of your time, which is highlighted by cancer, as it makes you realise just how precious our time really is. I want to help to give more people more time. What once was a rare condition, is now said to affect 1 in 2 people. So, I ask for you to please help me reach my £2,400 goal, and let's beat cancer together. Whatever you can contribute towards the target would be greatly appreciated. This is one battle that we must win! P.S. My run is dedicated to all victims of cancer.