Man tackles 100km walk in 24 hours to raise money for incurable blood cancer

3rd July 2019

Lee Norman, aged 35, from Worksop is taking on his biggest challenge to date after his father in law was diagnosed with a rare type of blood cancer almost two years ago.

Colin Hardwick, aged 64 was diagnosed with Myelodysplasia a rare and serious type of bone marrow cancer which disrupts the body's normal production of blood cells. Unlike other cancers it does not exist as a lump or tumour. The cancer causes, recurring and potentially serious infections, chronic fatigue and risk of life-threatening bleeding. Colin's daughter Liz spoke about how she felt after her father was diagnosed, she said: -As a family we're all really close. When we first found out we were shocked, but as we found out more about his condition it became clear how uncertain his future would be. -The diagnosis has been life changing for the entire family. My dad has always been very independent and active so we have all had to adapt to his limits which has been difficult. To watch your dad deteriorate in front of your eyes is absolutely heart-breaking. Since being diagnosed almost two years ago Colin had a stem cell transplant last June at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital and is still receiving treatment on the haematology daycase unit. Liz said: -Throughout his diagnosis the doctors and nurses were fantastic and this level of care continued throughout his stem cell transplant and his care in the haematology department has been excellent. Following his diagnosis and further treatment, Lee and his wife Liz have both signed up to become stem cell donors themselves and Lee now wants to help raise further funds for Sheffield Hospitals Charity to help find a cure for Myeloma. Earlier this year Lee completed his first ever half marathon and managed to raise a total of £359 but he now hopes to beat that amount in his biggest challenge yet. Lee said: -I wanted to try and do something a little bit different this time around and thankfully I came across the 24 hour 100km walk around Bakewell. It's something local and definitely something different. I decided to self-fund the event so I could do it for this appeal which is close to mine and my family's hearts. -I don't think this is a challenge I can prepare myself for as I've not done anything similar. Honestly, I'm just going to go and enjoy myself and hopefully raise a lot of money to help others in a similar position. Lee will be taking on the 100km Peak District Ultra Challenge for Cure Myeloma on the 13th July and you can donate to his Just Giving page here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/lee-norman1 Sheffield Hospitals Charity's Cure Myeloma Appeal raised £90,000 in 2017 to fund ground breaking research which may one day find a cure for the devastating disease. Dr Andrew Chantry, haematology consultant at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, and his team of researchers has been working on the 'anti-myeloma virus project', which has the potential to completely eliminate myeloma finally leading to a cure. Dr Chantry and his team of researchers now want to raise further funds to discover new ways to eliminate myeloma cancerous cells and test new drugs which doctors believe will help to accelerate the arrival of new and effective treatments. To donate, visit www.sheffieldhospitalscharity.org.uk/appeal/cure-myeloma