Cancer sufferer sets his sights on Arctic fundraising trek on dog sledge
HOME or asleigh, brave Villa fan Jack Williams aims to be a charity winner by travelling 300km across the Arctic on a dog sledge.
Jack, from Coleshill, was diagnosed with testicular cancer in October and is hoping to raise funds for Worldwide Cancer Research through his latest daring expedition, having already trekked across the Sahara desert and Himalayas.
He is currently leading a vote to become a member of the Fjällräven Polar team, who will descend on one of the Earth’s coldest spots at the beginning of April.
Jack, aged 28, said: “I was diagnosed with testicular cancer about six or seven weeks ago now, since then I have had an operation and had it removed. The four centimetre tumour has gone.
“It’s been diagnosed as stage one cancer so it’s about 95 per cent curable, which is pretty good news. It might have spread into my stomach, but they’re not too sure. It’s showing very, very slight signs that it may have. I’m under moderate surveillance and having blood tests every couple of months.”
Prior to contracting the illness, he supported his uncle during his own personal battle with the disease.
Before that, Jack’s father and two grandfathers lost their lives to bowel cancer.
Jack has already touched down on some of the planet’s most spectacular settings, but it’s the chilling temperatures of the Arctic that appeal more than the searing heat of the desert.
He added: “The cold regions appeal. There is something about them. They’re obviously particularly challenging, they’re stunning and not often visited.”
Help Jack reach the Arctic by voting for him at http://polar. fjallraven.com/ contestant/?id=43