A RETIRED scientist from Northwich who is receiving treatment for prostate cancer is urging people across Cheshire to support Cancer Research UK’s latest fundraising campaign, Walk All Over Cancer.
Graham Bushnell-Wye, from Barnton, is inviting people to sign up now and get sponsored to walk 10,000 steps every day in March to support the charity’s life-saving mission.
Graham was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2013 and has undergone a range of radiotherapy, chemotherapy and hormonal treatments over the years to help control the disease.
Scans last year showed signs of cancer in his bones and he is now participating in a clinical drug trial at The Christie Hospital in Manchester.
Graham has taken part in several fundraising events for Cancer Research UK.
Graham, who is married with three grown-up sons, said: "It was a shock to be told within nine months of retiring that I had cancer and the whole family were understandably very concerned for me.
"Over the years I’ve experienced various stages of the disease and a range of different treatments, including a form of internal radiotherapy where implanted radioactive pellets were inserted directly to the site of the cancer.
"Although few options now remain for slowing down the growth of my cancer, science is giving me more precious time with my wife, Mairearad.
"I hope that new breakthroughs and discoveries will help other men in my situation in the future."
Graham is a Cancer Research UK Ambassador and a committed fundraiser for the charity. Over the years he has generously raised thousands of pounds by taking part in the London Marathon and many other running events.
Anna Taylor, Cancer Research UK’s spokesperson for the North West, said: "We are extremely grateful to Graham for his incredible dedication and commitment to Cancer Research UK.
"Every step our scientists take towards beating cancer relies on our supporters and signing up to Walk All Over Cancer is a safe and simple way to get involved during these challenging times.
"Plus, knowing you’ll be helping to save lives is the ultimate motivation.
"We all want 2021 to have a more positive outlook.
"So why not give yourself a boost by committing to get more active and having an achievable goal to aim for - all in aid of a good cause."
Ten thousand steps is equal to about five miles, based on the average person’s strides, so by the end of March participants will have clocked up more than 150 miles.
Graham plans to walk 10,000 steps a day throughout March.
This might sound a lot but some people are surprised to find they complete that just going about their daily lives.
That’s quite a challenge for some, but adopting small changes that you can stick to can really add up – whether it’s taking part in conference calls on the go, exploring local beauty spots or treating the dog to a month of extra-long walks.
There are plenty of positive health benefits to walking too. As well as helping towards a healthy body weight, taking part could also take a little weight off the mind.
Regular walking is also a great stress-reliever and can assist with mental wellbeing by improving mood and sleep.
Keeping check on the number of steps taken each day is a great way to create a sense of achievement and it’s easy to do with smartphone apps, pedometers and wearable activity trackers available to help.
Walk All Over Cancer is now integrated with FitBit, so that participants can automatically publish their step count on their fundraising page throughout the month.
"With around 42,000 people diagnosed with cancer every year in the North West, Cancer Research UK is working every day to find new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat the disease," Anna added.
"The truth is Covid-19 has slowed us down, but we will never stop striving to create better treatments for tomorrow.
"Every step our scientists take towards beating cancer relies on our supporters.
"That’s why we need everyone to step up to Walk All Over Cancer."
Cancer Research UK currently funds almost half of all publicly funded cancer research in the UK and is the only UK charity fighting more than 200 types of cancer.
Before the pandemic, it was able to spend over £33 million in the North West last year on some of the UK’s leading scientific and clinical research.
To sign up and receive a free fundraising pack, with tips and ideas to help with the challenge, visit cruk.org/walkallover
Participants are being encouraged to use #WalkAllOverCancer and tag @CR_UK when sharing their challenge on social media.
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