Hunt reveals cancer fight ahead of taking part in charity race
‘I have had a minor one, which has fortunately been resolved. It’s touched my family very dramatically’
JEREMY HUNT, the former health secretary, has revealed that he once had cancer as he prepares to take part in a charity race to raise funds for people with the disease.
The Conservative MP said he will be taking part in a 5k race next month after the disease affected some of his relatives “very dramatically”, and he suffered a “minor one” himself.
Mr Hunt will represent Cancer Research UK in the charity’s Race for Life on July 24. Mr Hunt, chairman of the Commons select committee on health and social care, said: “Every member of my family has had cancer.
“I have had a minor one myself, which has fortunately been resolved.
“So it’s touched my family very dramatically and I know it has touched many, many families.
“My work on the select committee has shown me there are a lot of things we can do to improve our cancer survival rates.
“They are getting better but the more we can do to raise money and raise awareness, the more lives we’ll save.”
The 55-year-old MP will be running with Rod Pluthero, 73, a cancer survivor, and his fellow Tory MP, Angela Richardson, 47.
The two MPS are also supporting a campaign to establish a state-of-theart cancer and surgical innovation centre at the Royal Surrey Hospital in Guildford.
Ms Richardson, who represents Guildford, said: “There will be few of us who have been untouched by cancer – with one in two people now developing it at some stage of our lives, research into successful treatments and prevention of the disease is an overwhelming health priority.
“Jeremy has been an advocate and champion of cancer research, advanced treatments and better patient experiences for many years. It’s my pleasure to be able to join him at the Race for Life and for us to be taking forward this campaign together to allow the best possible outcomes for cancer patients in the future.”
Mr Pluthero, from Haslemere, Surrey, had successful treatment for tongue cancer in 2016 and in 2018, but in 2020 he was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma in his jaw.
He underwent a 10-and-a-half-hour operation where surgeons replaced part of his jaw with bone from his fibula, saving his life. Mr Pluthero said: “We are all passionate about improving life for cancer patients from the moment they are diagnosed, right through any treatment they may need.”
Half of people in the UK born after 1960 will get cancer in their lifetime, according to Cancer Research UK.
Race for Life, in partnership with Tesco, is a nationwide series of 3k, 5k and 10k races, along with events for children, that raise millions of pounds every year.