A father from Wokingham is putting himself through his paces to run the TCS London Marathon this weekend to raise vital funds for children and young people with cancer after his son was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma at just 19 years old.
Chris Woodhead will be putting his best foot forward on Sunday, October 2 to raise money for Young Lives vs Cancer, the UK’s leading cancer charity for children and young people.
Chris’ son, Harry, was diagnosed with lymphoma after his university housemates noticed a new lump on his neck and encouraged him to get it seen to.
It was during lockdown so, as he was over 18, he couldn’t have anyone go to the hospital with him and found out the news he had cancer alone.
Chris, 54, said: “The impact for Harry was awful; it interfered with his revision and exams. Harry had to move back home while he took his treatment and we had to continue to pay for his accommodation in Southampton without the help of a grant as he was not studying.”
Harry went through several rounds of treatment, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, at Churchill Hospital in Oxford.
His family would have to drive to and from hospital which would take an hour each way – this meant, as well as paying out for his accommodation at university they had to pay for fuel and parking when he was in hospital too.
Young Lives vs Cancer helped Harry and his family from the moment of diagnosis. His social worker helped him find the strength to face everything cancer threw at him from the financial impact to the stress of having to be away from university, as well as the emotional impact too.
Chris continued: “Young Lives vs Cancer provided a little financial help for Harry and they were there to support him and help communicate with the University.
“Harry didn’t want to “burden” us with a lot so knowing he had Young Lives vs Cancer and they were talking to him was a big relief to us. [Without the charity] I think we would have worried a lot more and our relationship with Harry would have been a lot more strained.”
Chris says he is running the marathon “to give back and help make sure Young Lives vs Cancer is there for others in their time of need.”
Rebecca Clements, Sports Portfolio Manager at Young Lives vs Cancer, said: “We can’t thank Chris enough for his amazing efforts, taking on the challenge of a lifetime for Young Lives vs Cancer. For every blister Chris has encountered and all the running and training he has done, we are in awe of his dedication and determination.
“This month is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and we’d love to see the community get behind a final push for Chris’ fundraising. It’s a really special year for the TCS London Marathon since the pandemic and so we can’t wait to cheer on Chris and Team Young Lives all the way to the finish line.”
To sponsor Chris’ and their London Marathon effort, go to [https://tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/christopher-woodhead-9ac8c [tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com]]
For more information about Young Lives vs Cancer’s work, visit www.younglivesvscancer.org.uk
