25-02-2025
Runner diagnosed with cancer resumes fundraiser for late sister
A runner diagnosed with cancer while fundraising in his sister's memory has said he is still determined to reach his target. Mark Radon planned to raise £10,000 for St Michaels Hospice in Hereford after it cared for his sister Jo before her death aged 39 in 2023. But his running plans were put on hold when he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma last year. However, Mr Radon, who has so far raised about £3,000, has resumed his feat and said he wants to complete 2,025 miles (3,255 km) during 2025 as he recovers from chemotherapy and regains his fitness.
The irony he contracted cancer while raising money in his sister's memory after she also had cancer was not lost on him, he he said he had been very committed to the fundraising target."Fortunately my mind was already there anyway, all I needed to do was to keep nurturing it and the running helps with that and the fundraising helps with that," he told BBC Hereford and Worcester. "Seeing the figures go up for St Michaels helps with that and having my family and friends - they help with that," he Radon explained his late sister and the care she received at the hospice had been his main motivation."So many families like mine rely on those fine nurses to care for them and their loved ones in these dark times," he said. He also worked in a hospice during the Covid-19 pandemic and seen "the hard work that goes into it".
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