Family fundraise at charity run to warn others of skin cancer danger

7th June 2016

A family from Tickhill have signed up to their local cancer charity's run this summer to raise vital funds in memory of their beloved daddy and husband.

Catherine White and her 2 children, Jack Thomas (11) and Isabelle Mae (9) will be joined by brother-in-law to be, Garry Boon at Weston Park Cancer Charity's Run in the Park event after losing her loving husband, Neil, to skin cancer last August. Catherine's sister, Rebecca and her Mum are also taking part in the run. Neil was diagnosed with skin cancer back in 2003, just before he married Catherine, but after successful surgery and treatment at Doncaster Royal Infirmary, he was given the all clear and continued to live his life to the full. But in March 2015, after experiencing bad migraines, father of 2 Neil visited the doctor who carried out further tests and confirmed the worst- the cancer had returned and this time it was terminal. Neil was referred to Weston Park Hospital to begin treatment which would help keep further spreading of his disease at bay, but sadly just 5 months later Neil's cancer become too aggressive for him to fight and he passed away at the age of 38 leaving behind his devastated family and friends. Catherine, a Teaching Assistant at Tickhill Estfeld Primary School said "We just can't thank the staff at Weston Park Hospital enough for all they did for us and Neil throughout his final months." "Although they weren't able to save Neil, they were incredibly kind and caring from the day we arrived and really made us all feel at ease and confident that Neil was in the best hands." "We decided to all sign up for Run in the Park this July and support Weston Park Cancer Charity as I know it's what Neil would have done in his quest to help others, even in the months before he passed away." Run in the Park welcomes families, friends and colleagues to don their running vests in support of the cancer charity and is well attended by hospital staff, fundraisers and patients alike. Now into its eighth year, the cancer charity is encouraging participants of all ages and abilities to take on either the 3k fun run or 10k race as part of the event. Despite a difficult diagnosis and challenging months ahead, the White family spent their precious final months trying to raise funds for various charities in hope of preventing other families going through the same turmoil. They have continued to fundraise in Neil's memory and his daughter Isabelle recently held a cake sale raising over £340 for Weston Park Cancer Charity. "Anything we can do to raise awareness of skin cancer is a positive step for us. If only 1 person learns something from our story then we will have at least accomplished something good from this terrible loss." "We're really looking forward to being involved in Run in the Park and being part of the fight against cancer locally." Weston Park Hospital is one of only a handful of specialist cancer hospitals in England and treats patients from all over South Yorkshire, North Nottinghamshire and North Derbyshire a population of almost 1.8million people. Weston Park Cancer Charity is the only dedicated charity for the hospital and exists to support the world-class cancer research and to improve the treatment and care for people living with cancer. In conjunction with The University of Sheffield, Weston Park Cancer Charity has recently enabled the appointment of a clinical research fellow at Weston Park Hospital. The post has been filled by Dr Shobha Silva who will conduct a research study, which aims to develop a simple blood test for melanoma skin cancer patients which could be used in the future to identify patients who have suffered a relapse. Fortunately over two-thirds of melanoma patients are cured of their cancer. However, up to 20% of patients experience metastatic relapse (where the melanoma returns and spreads). Currently the outcome for such patients is not very good, with the average survival less than a year. Recently, new drugs have been developed, including immunotherapies, which have shown great promise. Melanoma is the 5th most common cancer in the UK with around 13,000 new cases of melanoma diagnosed each year. More than a quarter of cases are diagnosed in people under 50, which is unusual compared to most other types of cancer. More than 2,000 people die every year in the UK from melanoma. Garry Boon, who is set to marry Catherine's sister, has also signed up to Run in the Park in memory of Neil and although an inexperienced runner, has vowed to complete the 10k route on the day. "Neil was such a generous and caring person." Said Garry "Less than a month before he passed away he twice cycled over 100 miles to raise money for charity, but that was just Neil. He always put everyone ahead of himself and he was taken far too early." "Many people have already raised money for him, including an incredible £3,000 at his funeral, which is testament to his character and the impact he had on everyone who was lucky enough to meet him." "Despite years of barracking about the fact that I can't actually run I decided to sign up to Run in the Park because sadly, Neil leaves behind a wife and 2 young children which is all too common a statistic." The cancer charity needs to raise over £2 million this year to enable the funding of committed and new projects that will keep patients at the forefront of cancer treatment. Cancer Charity Senior Fundraising Manager, Helen Gentle said, "Catherine and her family have been through such a difficult few months but it's so touching that despite everything, they are joining us at Run in the Park in a bid to help others living with a cancer diagnosis." "We rely on support from within the community and are so very grateful that people who have been affected by cancer can offer their support at our important fundraising events and raise funds which will ultimately help us save more lives." "Run in the Park offers runners of all ages and abilities the choice of a 10k race or 3k run and is a great event for friends and families alike to come together in support of one local cause." To support Rebecca's fundraising at Run in the Park donate via JustGiving at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Rebecca-Humble1?utm_id=22 To support Garry's fundraising donate via his JustGiving page at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Garry-Boon To sign up for Run in the Park and take on the 3k fun run or 10k race at Graves Park visit www.runinthepark.org.uk