Walking to help John fight Glioblastoma

Hi Everyone, my girlfriend's father John Greengrass was diagnosed with stage 4 Glioblastoma in October. This cancer is one of the most aggressive forms and the outlook is not very positive with the average life expectancy from diagnoses being 14 – 16 months.

There are alternative treatments available which have the ability to extend his life significantly but unfortunately, they are not available on the NHS and have to be paid for privately. The expected cost is likely to be north of £500,000 and due to the aggressiveness of the cancer every day matters.

I along with a colleague (Rupert) will be walking 53 miles (85km) from Marlow to Battersea along the Thames Path in 24 hours, starting at 3am on the 16th December to raise money for his care. Rupert and I had hoped to start in Reading, but we were told due to the time of year this maybe too ambitious as the conditions of the paths can slow you down.

Ideally, we would delay our walk until the Summer when the conditions improve and to allow for more training but John’s treatment has to start as soon as possible to give him a chance to fight this. If the conditions allow, we will continue walking past Battersea to get closer to our initial plan of over 70 miles.

As well as extending his life we are hoping to raise more awareness for this cruel disease which can affect anyone at any age, John himself is only 68 and someone who has taken care of himself his whole life.

We know that however hard our walk is, it is nothing compared to what John and his family are about to go through. Anything you can give is much appreciated and I know John, Sue, Jenny & Michael will be so appreciative.

Thank you!