Cancer survivor Tim takes on New York marathon for charity
A CANCER survivor from Bridgend is getting ready to lace up his trainers and take on the New York City Marathon.
Tim Ballard, who had kidney cancer, is a global ambassador for Movember and is taking his fundraising efforts thousands of miles across the Atlantic.
He is leading the “Finntashtic” team from Finning UK & Ireland, where he is business transformational general manager.
The team have raised more than £65,000 in the past three years through a mixture of Movember activities including growing comical moustaches, fitness challenges and pub quizzes.
For this year, Tim was asked to run the marathon as part of the Movember Global Team.
Movember aims to change the face of men’s health, tackling prostate cancer, testicular cancer, mental health and suicide prevention. Since 2003, it has funded more than 1,250 men’s health projects around the world.
Tim said: “When I was first asked to attempt the NYC marathon it was a big shock – I’d not even run a bath before! But with seven months to train, my slippers were put to one side and I purchased a pair of running shoes. Since the beginning of April, I have run over 400 miles in training and completed six races.”
His sponsorship tally is currently more than £3,200 and the 2019 Movember NYC Marathon Team total is at £110,000 – but they are hoping to raise a lot more.
Movember is a charity very close to Tim’s heart after losing friends issues.
He said: “Eight years ago, a good friend of mine took his own life, and it was around this time I also became aware of colleagues at work suffering from prostate cancer.
“So I started to get involved with Movember, recruiting colleagues to join in too.
“The creation of the Finntashtic team at Finning opened up conversations, and I found a number of colleagues were suffering from men’s health illnesses such as prostate, testicular and mental health issues.
“I then got kidney cancer myself, and on my return to work after five months off I was even more determined to make a difference with Movember.” to male-related health
The team has grown over the years to up to 30 members, supported by Tim and the business to not only raise money for Movember, but to also encourage staff to be more open about men’s health issues – whether they are suffering themselves or know someone who is.
Tim said: “Having Movember as a platform to discuss these issues has been invaluable at Finning, and it’s not just men that are affected, but often the female friends and family of those suffering too.
“I’ve seen a big shift in the culture at work, with people more willing to open up, and for me this is just as important as raising money for the charity.”
■ To donate, visit uk.movember.com/mospace/5321869