Running the odd mile...to help beat cancer

[p]At the end of June 2017 I was diagnosed with terminal primary liver cancer and given 6 to 9 months to live.[/p][p]As I have told many friends and family, I refuse, absolutely refuse, to go quietly into the night. I'm still here jabbing away due to better than anticipated treatment responses...though the medics are unsure as to why. This is the nature of liver cancer in many cases.[/p][p]So, whilst I can, I’m going to use my passion for ultrarunning as a means to raise funds for research into my cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma) at King's College Hospital (KCH) in London - who have been caring for me as an outpatient for the past 13 years for my liver disease and who are now providing support and treatment for my cancer. [/p][p]Monies raised via this page have been earmarked to enable research into the 'mechanics' of liver cancer, to further understand disease progression and why patients respond/don't respond well to certain treatment therapies...and that is just so uplifting. I'm just not accepting of the fact that liver cancer is currently only curable by transplant (and the vast majority of us are either detected too late for that or are qualified out by other criteria). [/p][p]Your help with fundraising is crucial. I was fortunate to talk about it on Sky News in May.[/p][vmgvideo class="ql-video" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_aHRpRbTDf4?showinfo=0&rel=0&iv_load_policy=3"][/vmgvideo][p] [/p][p]By way of background...KCH is a leading NHS hospital and home to the well renowned Institute of Liver Studies...and it is brilliant. Everyone I've met there, from porter to nursing support to Consultant have been off the chart with their dedication to patient care. [/p][p]They all know that liver cancer patients have very poor prognosis. [/p][p]Having spent some time as a patient on the wards there, you just sense how much more the team want to do to fix you completely or to get you more time.[/p][p]But in the majority of cases they can't...the treatment options for liver cancer patients are very limited, the research £s aren't there (and I'm not going to get political here), I get the sense that NHS funding for critical illness is still massively triaged, let alone is it enough in relative terms. The big Pharma companies have their own agendas and preferred target markets.[/p][p]So, I'm going to do my bit to help KCH (Charity Fund), and thus am asking for your support. I've had tremendous support to date as I've taken on a number of races...ranging from running 100 miles continuously in the Sonoran desert in Arizona to 145 miles down the Grand Union Canal (from Birmingham to Paddington)[/p][p]I'm going to keep running until I'm told not to. My health is currently ok...I have been pulled back from the very edge of that precipice but still rest deep in the woods...but, and most importantly, I remain positive.[/p][p]I'm running a 100 miler, the Bello Gallico, (east of Brussels) in mid-December, then just after Christmas, along with a good friend, we are putting on a free night time marathon...which has attracted a great set of prize sponsors for the attendant raffle. In February of 2019 I take on the Arc of Attrition - 100+ miles on the South West Coastal Path in Cornwall....and then a month later back to Belgium for the Legends Trail, 155 miles and 27,000ft of elevation in the Ardennes (no, the country isn't completely flat!)[/p][p]Other adventures are most definitely on the cards...may I thank you for any and all support.[/p][p]Best wishes[/p][p]Mark[/p][p]PS - if eligible, please don't forget to check the Gift Aid box![/p][p]email: mark@thornberry.co.uk[/p][p]twitter: @thorners125[/p][p]blog: https://thorners.wordpress.com [/p][p][br][/p][p][br][/p][p][br][/p][p][br][/p]