A man who noticed a pain in his knee feared he would lose his leg after being given a devastating diagnosis.
The pain in Brad Farrel's knee became so bad he could no longer walk, leading to doctors diagnosing him with osteosarcoma - a type of bone cancer. The 25-year-old, from North Wales, underwent a 10-week course of chemotherapy which has reduced the size of his cancer enough for surgeons to treat it.
He said: “They initially thought I might have to have my leg amputated, but thankfully the chemo has shrunk the tumour so much that they’ll be able to operate on it.”
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Brad, who works for his family’s business, underwent treatment at The Christie, a specialist cancer centre in Manchester. A typical course of chemotherapy allows patients to return home on the same day after receiving their treatment, but Brad’s course was so vigorous it left him hospitalised for up to six days a week.
The time he spent on the wards saw him form bonds with the doctors and nurses who helped him through his treatment. He said: “Everyone I’ve met at The Christie has been amazing at what has been a really difficult time for me. I wouldn’t want to go through this anywhere else."
Now, to say thanks to the hospital, Brad's friend Andy Huddlestone, is running 50 miles - almost the same distance as two marathons - from his home in Runcorn to Brad’s home in Conwy in a single day. Brad and Andy have been friends for nearly five years, meeting when Andy started dating Brad’s sister, who has sadly passed away.
Andy, 29, said: “He’s more like my brother than my friend, so when he spoke so warmly of the team at The Christie, I knew that I wanted to do something big to give back."
Amazingly, in just a single week of fundraising, Andy has raised more than £35,000.
He said: "I initially set my fundraising target at £5,000, so to raise so much in such a short space of time is just astonishing. It just shows how much Brad and The Christie mean to people.”
Andy, who owns his own electrical wholesale business, will undertake his challenge on Friday July 8, starting at 3am and hoping to finish by 7pm.
Brad said: “To see people giving so much really means a lot to me."
Josh Hughff, sporting events co-ordinator at The Christie charity, said: “Brad means so much to Andy and we were so inspired when we heard about his mammoth run. The Christie charity provides enhanced services over and above what the NHS funds and the money that Andy has raised will go directly to help more people like Brad.”
Within his first week of fundraising, Andy has raised just over a staggering £35,000, which will all be donated to The Christie at the end of the super-marathon. His progress can be followed using the social media tag #50ForTheChristie.
You can also sponsor Andy here.
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