Press Release - 20th June 2006
HEATHER & HASH HOUSE HARRIERS' HEROICS
Heather is pictured (far left) with Christie appeals officer Anne Guy and Ken Craig.Former cancer patient Heather Thistleton took part in her 10th London Marathon this year - and celebrated the landmark occasion by handing over almost £10,000 to The Christie.
Heather, from Knutsford, started running again as a way helping her get over the shock of being diagnosed with skin cancer in 1992. Before her illness she occasionally went jogging, but afterwards she soon progressed to running marathons and used four of her 10 trips to the capital to raise money for The Christie as a thank you for her treatment.
She said: "In a funny way, it was my cancer that got me into running marathons - I hadn't done any long distance runs before that. It was a massive shock obviously, but fortunately I caught it in time and my treatment went well. I was so relieved, I started looking at my life and doing madcap things, and running was just one of them.
"Doing the London Marathon is an amazing experience, and it gets better every time. You get hooked on it! The crowds are wonderful and really spur you on and you feel very privileged to take part, and knowing you're doing it to raise money makes it even more worthwhile."
Members of the group are pictured presenting some of this year's money to appeals officer Anne GuyNot content with doing it on her own, Heather has been busy rallying up the troops at her running club, the Cheshire Hash House Harriers, to adopt Christie's as their official charity.
This year Heather was joined in the Marathon by Ken Craig and in previous years Ray Humphreys, Pam Eden, Simon Wright and others have all taken part in events including the London Marathon and Wilmslow Half Marathon to raise money.
And as well as the other members joining her in the London Marathon, quiz nights and supper evenings have boosted the funds. Between them they have raised an impressive £20,000, spurred on by the personal experiences of two of their members who have been recently diagnosed with cancer.
Tony Ellis and Maggie Richens are both currently bring treated at The Christie and are doing well. Tony is now back running and Maggie also joins the club's walking group but does hope to be running again before too long.
Heather added: "Tony and Maggie's experiences encouraged us to do what we can and all the members of the Harriers have been fantastic and happy to support The Christie as much as possible. We all enjoy our activities but it is even nicer to know that they're helping to raise money for a good cause."
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The Christie in Manchester is one of the leading cancer centres in Europe - registering around 12,500 new patients and treating about 40,000 patients every year.
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