A BIT ABOUT US AND OUR OBJECTIVES

Step on Cancer has been set up by me, Alistair and my wife Laura, here we are pictured above with my children Mia and Charlie. ​

I was diagnosed with stage IV Oesophageal cancer in June 2017 at the age of 38, this is an incurable form of the disease that was caught very late. ​

Since diagnosis I have run, swum and cycled my way to raising funds for worthwhile causes.  Obviously, cancer has a huge impact on all of us and in some ways if I am being honest, I have struggled to find purpose since my diagnosis (even when my family and friends have been somewhat surprised at my achievements). It has therefore helped me set myself goals to hit whilst undergoing my treatment and Step on Cancer is my biggest goal yet!” ​

Exercise has been a massive part of my cancer journey and the evidence is growing of the huge positive impact it can have on those going through and after cancer treatment. ​

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I can speak from personal experience about the benefits that exercise gave me. I considered myself very fit before my diagnosis, but I then became very ill just before and lost a lot of my muscle mass and energy.  The chemotherapy meant that I couldn’t run anymore so instead I turned my attention to my bike. Whilst Laura especially couldn’t watch the first time i got on my bike, terrified i would overdo it, i proved to her that I could! ​

From there on I haven’t looked back.  It was hard for me to accept during some stages of my treatment that I simply couldn’t do any activity - sometimes just getting down the stairs was enough for the day.  But whenever I could, I would be out there doing something, even if it was just a walk to the local shop (5 minutes away).

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There is no doubt in our minds that this contributed to my ability to manage the chemotherapy both physically and mentally.  Admittedly we have no evidence base, but we think that it probably helped the chemotherapy do its job too. ​

That’s why I’m keen to do this challenge, both as a personal goal but also to highlight the benefits of activity to others.  We are not suggesting marathons/rides or even walks. We strongly believe that something is better than nothing so even getting to the racecourse and saying Hi would be a great step as we know that Cancer treatment can be isolating. ​

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As such spread the word, we hope to see you there to share your experiences and help build some level of activity into your journey.