Updated on Oct 4th 2011 at 10:56 AM from the JustGiving API

We did it! 26.2 miles, 3 energy drinks, a packet of jelly babies and several blisters later, we crossed the finish line having walked for about ten hours straight. A brilliant cause and a great atmosphere; thank you to my team mates and everyone who supported me. And well done to Cancer Research UK, who raised well over a million pounds towards their life-changing work.

Updated on Sep 28th 2011 at 6:26 PM from the JustGiving API

Wow. Can't quite believe the generosity of my family and friends who have helped raise £295 for Cancer Research UK. Thank you all so much - we've totally smashed my target and I'm looking forward to the marathon on Saturday! THANK YOU!

Updated on Sep 22nd 2011 at 6:09 PM from the JustGiving API

Thank you so much to everyone who has donated so far - I'm nearly halfway to target!

So I should start by saying that I'm practically allergic to exercise. I've been heard to say that I used to invent new ailments just to avoid doing P.E at school, and it's true - I'm hopeless at anything vaguely athletic.So why on earth am I taking part in a 26-mile walkathon, you ask?

 

I was about 17 years old when cancer first became more than just a newspaper headline to me. My best friend's dad died of a cancerous brain tumor; I was asked to sing at his funeral, and it was one of the saddest, most harrowing occasions of my life. Around the same time one of the guys in my year at school also passed away, completely unexpectedly, and also because of cancer. I discovered cancer was no respecter of age, and I couldn't get my head around how these lives had just been snuffed out, leaving such a devastation in their wake.

 

Later on, cancer claimed the lives of more family friends...and then it finally came for my Uncle. When we first discovered he had cancer, I don't think anyone really believed it. It didn't seem possible; he had always been so healthy. We're a close-knit family, so the news affected all of us, but it was especially hard for my Aunt and their children. Thankfully, through the hard work of the medical staff and a hec of a lot of prayer, my Uncle was given the all-clear last year. I think he'd be the first to say how thankful he is for every day he's alive now.

 

I'm doing the Shine Walk Marathon for all of the people mentioned above, but also because one in three people get cancer in their lifetime. I'm doing it for all of my family and friends, and also for myself. I want to know that if cancer comes for me or those that I love, there will still be charities like Cancer Research UK to help in the fight against it. And so I'm asking you to please sponsor me, and join with me and my colleagues at Stewardship in making a stand against this horrible disease.

 

If you're still reading, thanks very much for your support. I look forward to seeing some of you at the finish line!

 

Love,

 

Alex