Be inspired by my friend’s life journey
I have had a fantastic week training for my big 120-mile January race, “The Montane Spine Challenger”, and as you read this, I should have run/trekked over 100 miles since last Sunday in all the changing weather Britain has thrown at us.
However, that pales into insignificance when compared to my friend Luke, another amazing person I met at Nonsuch Park “Cancer 5k your way” Parkrun.
Luke was diagnosed in June 2018 with a rare sarcoma aged just 24, and the cancer had already aggressively spread to his lungs. Like me, Luke decided to not be a victim by keeping going. He ran through chemotherapy but also tragically suffered grief when his brother John died aged just 25 from a fall in the Lake District. I have no idea how he coped with that and chemo.
Using his brother’s memory as another reason to live the best life he can, Luke has since taken on amazing adventures all over the world, fundraising for good causes, and he is currently on his biggest challenge yet (outside of cancer!).
Luke is cycling from Bristol to Beijing tandem while also pulling a trailer full of supplies. That’s around
30,000km with some tough terrain in some challenging countries. Currently in
Lahore, Pakistan, he still has
India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and a big chunk of China to get through so he can finish.
Now that is an epic journey worthy of support.
Luke is raising funds for a variety of charities, most centred around childhood cancer, and if you want to know more about his story and if you are able to donate, please visit his website at bristol2beijing.org
One catchphrase that Luke has is based around his view (that I share) that you can live with cancer and make the most of life. He calls that being a “Canliver”.
I hope you share Luke’s view like me and believe that you too can live well no matter what life throws at you. Sometimes it’s not the way you would wish for but, none the less, it’s a way that can bring you and others joy in some way every single day.