Natalie and Alex's Fundraiser for Macmillan and The Christie
Natalie Ho
Natalie and Alex's Fundraiser for Macmillan and The Christie
Last July, my brother Henry was diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer right after his 20th birthday. It’s been a really strange and scary time since then, with Henry undergoing surgery, six weeks of radiotherapy, and four rounds of chemo, as well as spending both his birthday and Christmas day in A&E. As his big sister, it’s been heartbreaking seeing Henry be so positive and resilient in the face of such a devastating disease at a time when he should be enjoying uni life with friends. Unfortunately, the tumour progressed despite this aggressive treatment with all its awful side effects, so our next step is extensive surgery planned for next month.
It’s been over half a year since Henry was diagnosed, but I think we’re all still trying to process just how quickly our family’s lives changed overnight. Last summer, our focus was on visiting our grandad in HK after he himself was diagnosed with stage 3 lung cancer. Suddenly, Henry became too ill to travel and went from being back home from uni for the summer to undergoing cancer treatment. My dad gave up his job and moved back from HK. I was a few days away from moving to London when I pulled out of my house and deferred my first year working as a doctor to move back home.
There’s been so much change, apprehension, and uncertainty, but the one constant since last summer has been the absolutely amazing support from Macmillan and The Christie Hospital every step of the way.
Macmillan have been an incredible source of support from the very beginning - Henry’s Macmillan nurse Carol and the Macmillan team have been there from the first moment that cancer was raised as a possibility then throughout each stage of treatment. Macmillan offers this invaluable support to cancer patients across the UK every day. Unfortunately, nearly 1 in 2 of us will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in our lives, and its impact on my grandad and Henry has been a brutal reminder that cancer can affect anyone at any age. Each year, Macmillan supports millions of people affected by cancer and their families, which is only made possible by those who kindly donate.
We’re also so grateful for the care and treatment that Henry receives at The Christie. From daily radiotherapy and cycles of chemo infusions at the Teenage and Young Adult unit to an upcoming major surgery with a 2-3 week stay, we couldn’t be more grateful to be in the hands of such an experienced, supportive, and understanding team. We’re so lucky to have a world-leading cancer centre on our doorstep here in Manchester, but The Christie also offers life-changing and life-saving treatment to cancer patients across the UK - it’s been truly eye-opening hearing stories from so many people whose relatives have been under its care. Again, this invaluable work at The Christie is only made possible by donations.
In support of all that they’ve done for Henry and countless others affected by cancer, my boyfriend Alex and I will be fundraising for The Christie and Macmillan over the coming months. In a week’s time, Alex will be running the Cambridge Half Marathon. In the months after Henry’s surgery, we’ll be tackling each of the Three Peaks (Scafell Pike, Snowdon with family and friends, and Ben Nevis) before Henry’s 21st birthday in June.
We’d be so grateful for any donations towards these two amazing causes, however big or small! Half of the proceeds will help fund life-changing and life-saving research, care, and treatment at The Christie, and the other half will go towards Macmillan’s vital work supporting millions of people affected by cancer across the UK.
Thank you so much for reading and considering donating ❤️
£5,217.20
+£448.00 Gift Aid
raised of £1,000 target
by 133 supporters