Jeremy 'Ice Cold' Beveridge

Not every cancer story ends well, but I want to focus on one that does. My friend (let’s call him Paul) was diagnosed in February this year with Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in his Small Bowel. He started his R-Chop Chemotherapy shortly after but due to complications with the treatment he was hospitalised in the haematology ward at Kings College Hospital. This was pretty bleak in itself, and although the treatment had been working to break down the Lymphoma it had left scar tissue in the bowel which caused a blockage. Following his third round of chemo his bowel ruptured at the start of May and he was rushed into emergency surgery. He was given a 75% mortality expectation where his doctors had to argue the case with the surgeons to operate on him. Thankfully they did, after which he was transferred to the Critical Care Unit at Kings. So when things were already looking shit he contracted sepsis. Paul’s husband was told to call his family down as he wasn’t expected to pull through. Despite this though, and against the odds, he stabilised and spent the next month in critical care as he continued to fight off infection and get strong enough to be transferred back to the main ward. Amazingly when he was strong enough to undergo another PET Scan they discovered that the Lymphoma had completely broken down and he was discharged from hospital at the end of June to complete the final three chemo sessions at home. Following 3 months of convalescence he was given the all clear on 21st September and the news that he is fully in remission. He’s back at work now, and making the most of his near death experience to justify having the odd Macdonalds ordered to his flat. I’m doing this fight because most people have a story about cancer that ends sadly, and anyone that does knows how awful it is to watch a loved one deteriorate in front of you. But when there’s a story like this it gives others and their families hope, which they deserve. So, this November, I’ll be entering the boxing ring and taking part in Ticketmaster’s Ultra White Collar Boxing to raise money for Stand Up to Cancer. The money raised will help take breakthroughs in the lab and transforms them into treatments and cures for cancer patients who need them right now, just like Paul did. Dig deep and sponsor me to don my boxing gloves and show cancer it’s payback time.