AN INSPIRATIONAL dad from Rugby is aiming to run the London Marathon and climb one of the highest mountains in the world to raise awareness and funds for the charity which saved his daughter’s life.
Chris Hughes, 36, is taking part in the famous marathon on Sunday (October 2) to give something back to the blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan after it helped his daughter Holly, six, to beat leukaemia twice.
Chris quit his job to spend more time with Holly through her seven months of illness.
He said: “Holly was diagnosed with leukaemia for the second time, about two months after my mum died. Everything felt out of control.
“Running helped me stay positive and I would run up and down the stairs the whole seven months we were in hospital, doing over 600 5kms in a row, and Holly would cheer me from her bed.”
Holly pictured during her treatment last year (left), and now, doing well following her stem cell transplant.
Holly’s only chance of survival was through a stem cell transplant. After a search on their register, Anthony Nolan found a perfect matching umbilical cord for her treatment.
Chris said: “I can remember that phone call. I can only imagine that feeling is what the best drug in the world must feel like, that euphoric feeling, to know that they have got a match for your child.”
Four days after the London Marathon, Chris will head off to Tanzania to take on a seven-day challenge to climb Mount Kilimanjaro – the highest mountain in Africa.
He hopes to create more awareness about Anthony Nolan’s lifesaving work and help raise money to recruit more stem cell donors.
Henny Braund, Chief Executive of Anthony Nolan, said: ‘We‘re thrilled that Holly was able to have her stem cell transplant and is doing well. We are also grateful to Chris for running the marathon to raise money so we can continue with our lifesaving work.
“The money raised will go far in helping us find more matches for patients like Holly, and we’ll be cheering him every step of the way.”
Every year in the UK, around 40,000 people are diagnosed with blood cancer, and around 2,400 people need a stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor. Anthony Nolan works to encourage people to sign up as donors. Visit www.anthonynolan.org for more information on the charity.
Visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/chris-hughes70 to donate to Chris’ fund-raising efforts.
