Duncan has a £10,000 thank you for hospital
AYOUNG man who had a tumour the size of a tennis ball removed from his brain will mark the 10-year anniversary of his surgery by raising £10,000 in 10 months for the hospital that saved his life.
Duncan McCombe will take part in 28 fundraising events – to match the 28 days he spent at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital post-surgery – and is asking YOU to set the challenges.
The 21-year-old from Bramhall was just 12 when he began suffering from headaches and sickness and was advised by an optician to see a doctor.
It was then that specialists discovered Duncan’s tumour and he was bluelighted to RMCH, where he underwent three operations to remove it.
Since then, he has made a full recovery and devoted his time to raising money for the hospital and team that saved him.
The former Cheadle and Marple College pupil said he will be forever grateful to them for everything they did.
“Without them I wouldn’t be here today, so my respect and admiration for the work they do is on another level.
“Since my operation my family and I have been heavily involved in supporting the charity, but this year, for my 10th anniversary, I really wanted to give back what I can and take my fundraising to the next level.
“Basically I want to try and push myself as hard as I can, take on new challenges, get people involved and raise as much money as possible.”
He added: “I’m a huge advocate of the NHS – I know better than anyone that you may end up needing hospital services when you least expect it and we are incredibly lucky to have such a wonderful hospital on our doorstep in Manchester.
“By taking on these fundraising challenges I hope I can come closer to being able to repay the hospital for saving my life.”
So far Duncan has signed up for the Wilmslow Half Marathon, Stirling Scottish Marathon, the Great Manchester Run – both half-marathon and 10k distances, a 240ft abseil and Tough Mudder, but there is still space for many more challenges.
If you have an idea, and want to join him, you can submit it via Twitter (@ DuncanMcCombe), Snapchat (Duncan_mcc) and Instagram (Duncan_mcc).
To sponsor Duncan please visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ DuncansDecade.