A couple embarked on a gruelling challenge to complete 100 miles in a month to raise money for our charity – after one of their parents was diagnosed with life-threatening Multiple Myeloma.
Jonny Turner and Nichola Harrower from Wigan walked, ran and cycled to clock up the 100 miles all within a month during the summer and collected an impressive £1,310 for our charity in sponsorship money, easily beating their original £500 target.
Jonny’s father, Fred Turner, 63, is now in remission and undergoing regular check-ups after many months of treatment for Multiple Myeloma. Nichola said she and Jonny researched the illness after Fred’s diagnosis and discovered the work of LMRUK.
“We read the fundraising stories on the charity’s website, and we wanted to raise funds to support awareness,” Nichola said. “It saddened us to learn that LMRUK do not receive any government funding and, as such, we decided a fundraising event would be an excellent place to start.”
She admitted getting on the road to clock up the miles had been challenging at times – especially after a long day at work or when the weather was bad. The couple, who both work in professional roles, are considering further fundraising efforts on behalf of LMRUK.
Nichola said: “We are certainly not exercise fanatics, but we saw this as an opportunity to not only raise money for this amazing charity, but to also get fit! I do enjoy weekly spin classes, but we both purchased bicycles and headed out on the road to complete our miles.”
Fred Turner, who also lives in Wigan, underwent two rounds of chemotherapy for Myeloma at The Royal Albert Edward Infirmary in the town. He then spent several months in Manchester Royal Infirmary after undergoing a stem cell transplant.
Nichola said: “This was an extremely difficult time as his visitations were limited due to his immune system being virtually zero at that point and the chance of infection was very high.
“Fred and his wife Mary – Jonny’s mum – have been married almost 40 years. She was by his side day and night. She would travel from Wigan to Manchester Royal Infirmary on a daily basis to be with him for over an eight-week period.
“The stem cell transplant was successful and Fred returned home, but sadly, he did suffer a number of infections. He was in and out of Wigan Hospital as a result, where he was also given platelets to help form blood clots and slow bleeding, as his have often been very low!
“He has certainly not had it easy and this cancer completely changed his life. He is of very limited mobility and relies heavily on his wife to care for him day to day. She has taken on this role and never complains.”
Fred, who has two other children, Ryan and Jessica, and three grandchildren, Oscar, Theo and Harrison, is a huge fan of the rugby league side Wigan Warriors – although he had to put his attendance at games on hold during his treatment.
Nichola said she and Jonny hoped that money raised for LMRUK might be used to help raise awareness of the condition, to help others going through a similar experience.
She said: “We were not familiar with this type of cancer until Fred was diagnosed with it. We therefore carried out most of the research ourselves. It doesn’t get much television coverage, nor does it receive the prominent media presence other cancers do.
“We therefore hope that the funds will support the charity’s work in educating people on the different forms of blood cancer, the symptoms to look out for, and the treatments available. The more people that know about this form of cancer, the quicker we can help to eradicate it once and for all”
To receive a copy of our informative blood cancer brochure, click the box on the right-hand side of the page here: https://lmruk.org/blood-cancers/.
If you’ve been inspired by Jonny and Nichola’s incredible fundraising, discover all the ways that you can support our charity here: https://lmruk.org/fundraising/.
