I watched my mum and gran go through cancer and now I'm taking on a charity challenge
An Edinburgh man whose gran died of cancer years after he watched his mother struggle with the disease is taking on a charity challenge.
Will Main’s mother was diagnosed with oral cancer shortly after he was born and he said it was a difficult time for his family.
“Obviously that was an incredibly stressful experience at that time period. Obviously I can't remember much because I was only two or three at the time, but I can vaguely remember. Clearly they’re considering the future and wanting a second child and this suddenly occurred,” said the 38-year-old.
Although Will’s mother’s cancer treatment was successful, he said she suffered a lasting impact of the disease.
“Although she survived it, the remnants of it lingered,” he said. “She suffered quite badly from the dental surgery that needed to be performed at that time which was quite different and there is phantom pain and things that have lingered. It has resulted in her gums degrading faster than a normal person.”
The family were dealt a further blow years later when Will’s grandmother lost her life after being diagnosed with stomach cancer.
Will, a software engineer, said: “She sadly passed away from stomach cancer late in life and I believe that's a horrible experience for my mother to experience through her effectively.”
Now, Will is taking on a gruelling cycling challenge on September 7, as part of Sir Chris Hoy’s Tour De 4, in the hope that he can raise £200 for Cancer Research UK.
The new cycling initiative was created from Sir Chris Hoy’s vision to change perceptions around stage 4 cancer following his own diagnosis.
Starting and finishing at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in Glasgow there are various routes that participants can cycle offering shorter routes to those who may want to be involved but need a more accessible route.
Will is doing the Blue Route, which is 38 miles long. He said: “I’ve never cycled this distance, the distances I was doing was just around town.
“I was happy if I could manage five or 10 miles so ramping it up to 38 miles has certainly been a challenge. I’m at the 20 mile mark now and gradually moving into what it needs to be.”
While he has been inspired to raise money for the charity after his own family’s struggles with cancer, Will said he is also doing it for many others whose lives have been impacted by the disease.
“It's something that exists indirectly, you brush against it with friends or family or colleagues and it can be quite a scary thing, a stressful thing,” he said, adding that even his 24-year-old training coach revealed to him that her dad had died from cancer.
“Her father sadly passed away. I can't imagine losing my father at such a young age, it's quite a harrowing experience. She’s doing a lot when it comes to charity races and I wanted to get involved.”
Will Main will be cycling the Tour De 4 on September 7 and his Gofundme is linked here.