This year, journalists and editors from Metro will be taking part in Cancer Research’s Race for Life.
This Wednesday, a group of us will be taking on the 5K run to raise money for charity.
As many as one in two people will get cancer at some stage in their lives, and many writers at Metro have been affected by cancer through their loved ones – so it’s a cause close to our hearts.
We’d love for you to donate to support our runs, so a few of us have shared our motivations for taking part in the Battersea Park run this week.
If you’re able to donate to our runs, you can find the place to do it here.
‘One death from cancer is one too many’
Claie Wilson, Features Director
‘I can still remember every detail of the moment I got the call telling me my dad had cancer.
‘I was walking across London Bridge on a grey, but sunny November day in 2017, quickly heading out in my lunch break with a friend to buy a black round neck-jumper.
‘Since then, my mum has said she can’t believe they phoned me to give me the news – but I guess they were in shock, just as much as I was when I heard, as I carried on my shopping trip. Rifling through the M&S rails, I desperately tried to focus on the task in hand until, of course, I crumpled.
‘My dad, Robert, had lung cancer and it was just 16 short months on from that phone call that he died. Even though we knew it was going to happen one day, when it did, it was sudden, brutal and unexpected, and nothing like TV shows and romantic deathbed films would have you believe.
‘He was my hero – so much so, that I had followed in his journalistic footsteps and echoed his career – and his death left a gaping hole in my life and that of my children, who adored their funny, loving and generous Papa.
‘Although his passing from cancer, unsurprisingly, is the one that has hit me hardest, it’s by no means the only one I’ve experienced. I’ve lost more friends and family than I can count on both hands.
‘I also know people who are now, thank god, clear of cancer, and a load of amazing and brilliant people who live with it, still forging ahead, as they balance their diagnosis with everyday life – because, let’s be frank, what else can they do?
‘Race for Life asks you to say who you are running for – and for me, it is far too many people. In fact, one person is one too many, which is why I spend a lot of my time supporting and raising awareness for cancer charities, from CoppaFeel! to Cancer Research.
‘It’s through this fundraising that I’ve met so many powerhouses impacted by this terrible disease in some way, and despite what you might think, it’s a fun, vibrant and grabbing life by the balls community, which I love being part of. I just wish we hadn’t had to meet through such a devastating shared experience.’
‘What I would give to eat her cooking once again’
Tanyel Mustafa, Lifestyle Reporter
‘My nene – Turkish for grandmother – passed away from lung cancer when I was 16.
‘We found out the news when it was basically terminal, so we watched her suffer through futile treatments and I wish I’d been able to handle it better and known what to say to her.
‘The morning she passed away, I knew it had happened – my mum wasn’t home, and my dad had gone to McDonald’s to get a “treat” for breakfast for us.
‘It was the first time I’d had an Egg McMuffin, and I can’t ever look at them again without remembering the guttural pain that washed over me as I realised why this “treat” breakfast was happening.
‘I think of her often, and always find this time of year difficult as does my mum.
‘She was more like a second mum than a grandmother, as I saw her five times a week, and her house was where I did much of my growing up.
‘My nene was such a gentle soul, and though people say this a lot when talking of others, she genuinely wouldn’t hurt a fly. I always will be in awe of how she endured things, and often put herself second to see others (like me) through.
‘I remember I used to complain about her Turkish cooking, such as kofte, as all I wanted when I was little were “normal” foods like pizza. What I’d give now for a steaming hot plate of her traditional cooking.
‘This year, I’m running in her memory – and the date of this feels particularly special, as it’s one day after her death anniversary.
‘I’m also running for all of those both grieving and working through a cancer diagnosis – those journeys need the support of a village, and I hope the money we raise collectively helps make that happen.’
‘I’ve struggled since mum died and I’ve been to therapy to help’
Rory McKeown, News Editor
‘This year’s race for life will be the first time I’ve run for a good cause.
‘I couldn’t tell you why it’s taken me so long. I love running. I try and run most days and I was obsessed with it in my 20s.
‘I’d clock up six miles a day around the streets of whichever city or town I was living in. I’m a lot older now and the knees aren’t as strong as they used to be.
‘So why now? Race for Life is close to my heart. In early 2011, my mum, Sharon, was diagnosed with cancer. I was a young journalist plying my trade at a local newspaper in Somerset, miles away from my family and friends back home in Southampton.
‘Mum and I would regularly speak on the phone. At the end of 2010, she’d often tell me wasn’t feeling herself and was back and forth to the doctors.
‘I knew deep down something was up but I couldn’t imagine the scale of what was to come.
‘I remember the day my dad, Robert, phoned to say she’d been rushed to hospital. They’d found a tumour and she was having emergency surgery that night.
‘Cue a hazy drive back home down the A303 and straight to Southampton General Hospital.
‘There I saw my very brave but terrified mum trying to process the impending journey ahead. Our worlds turned upside down in a flash.
‘She battled for nearly two years before she died aged 57 surrounded by her family – my dad and younger brother Conor – in the early hours of Christmas Day 2012. She never once complained.
‘Her love of life and pride for her family shone bright until the very end, regardless of how weak she became.
‘This brings me back to Race for Life. One of my most cherished memories is her taking part in the event on Southampton Common with her sisters Ann and Carol, and her niece, my cousin Holly, a few months before she passed away.
‘All dressed in the colour pink synonymous with Race for Life, they wore jazzy pink shower caps and walked around the course, embracing the positive energy the event brings for thousands taking part every year.
‘They laughed and joked throughout, doing what sisters do, as if everything was normal again.
‘Up until 2019, Race for Life was a women-only event so I couldn’t take part. I took my camera along and tried my best to keep up with them in areas I was allowed to before we met up at the finish line. It was here that I got a picture with mum.
‘Little did I know it’s probably one of the last photos we got with each other – and it was at Race for Life.
‘Back then, camera phones weren’t as good as they are now and for some reason we just didn’t take that many photos. Perhaps we thought we’d still have time to take more but time flies. It’s one of my biggest regrets, but that photo will be with me forever.
‘I’m fiercely private and writing this has been a challenge.
‘I admit I’ve struggled since mum died. I’ve bottled a lot away and I’ve been to therapy to help.
‘But I’m realising as I get older, and becoming a dad, that it not only helps me but keeps her memory alive.
‘And by going out there on Tuesday for mum, it means I can honour her and share something she loved doing in her final months.’
‘My 13-year-old son Leo is running with me’
Deborah Arthurs, Editor-in-Chief
‘This year, I’m running not for one person, but for all those affected by cancer.
‘Last time I ran the Race For Life, my mum had just recovered from breast cancer that required a mastectomy, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
‘Then, at the end of 2022, after a brush with skin cancer that saw her have surgery on her nose, she discovered from a fortunately timed test – recommended by a conscientious GP – that she had bowel cancer.
‘Thanks to the doctor’s diligence, and to my mum for going to get checked for seemingly unrelated symptoms, it was in the earliest stages and very treatable.
‘The operation to remove a piece of bowel came just weeks later before the cancer had a chance to spread and she was declared cancer free (again) that same month, just before Christmas.
‘At the same time my uncle, cousin, sister-in-law and a dear friend were all being treated with chemotherapy for bowel cancer.
‘As we move into 2023, the journey for them is ongoing.
‘As is the case for so many of us, I have seen first-hand the effects of cancer.
‘The strain – physical, emotional, financial – it puts on them and their families. I am also aware of the statistics and I know, unfortunately, there is more to come, maybe for me, certainly for my loved ones.
‘I also know that early detection and treatment is crucial – the best outcomes are when the cancer is caught before it can spread – and that thanks to medical advances partly funded by money raised by events just like Race For Life, more cancers than ever are treatable and have positive outcomes.
‘Race For Life has raised over £1billion for cancer research over the past 30 years – which goes towards detecting and treating cancer more effectively. That’s why I’m glad to be one of more than 10million runners contributing to such an important cause.
‘This year, since the event is now open to all ages and genders, my 13-year-old son Leo is running with me – something that means a lot to us both.’
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