A huge good luck to the Great North Run TeamCHECT runners taking on the half marathon challenge on the 8 September. Here you can learn a bit about some of our amazing #TeamCHECT runners:
Ian Bird
Hi I’m Ian, a 38 year old football referee from South Wales. My 2 year old daughter Ava was diagnosed with retinoblastoma last year and unfortunately lost her eye soon after. I am motivated to raise funds for CHECT in order to repay them for the support that my family has received. I plan on running the half marathon with an eye patch to empathise with the difficulties that Ava, and other retinoblastoma Warriors, face.
Tim Whitaker
Hi Im Tim, I work at a College based just outside of York, with a hectic family life, one wife (who has two!), three kids from secondary age upwards (2 just about grown up – they really do get more expensive), two horses (even more expensive than kids and not mine), three dogs (Frenchies, genuinely untrainable), one cat (cool dude) and two rats (really! definitely not mine).
In 2007 our beautiful 3 year old daughter Tabitha was diagnosed with eye cancer. Within a week she had her right eye removed and shortly afterwards started chemotherapy.
This was obviously an awful period for us as a family. However due to the fantastic work of the NHS, Addenbrookes Hospital in Cambridge and Birmingham Children’s Hospital she came through it. The Childhood Eye Cancer Trust was just immense – supporting us all through some really dark times, and I will be forever grateful to them.
Tabitha today is nearly 21 and has turned into a brilliant and beautiful young person who I am so so proud of.
I started running in 2018 (still pretty slow). I had one of those in the mirror moments. Any support you can give is much appreciated.
Bethany Brown
My name is Beth I’m 30, and a child protection social worker . I am thrilled to be running the great north run for CHECT as it’s a charity close to my friends heart. Meadow and her family are amazing. Running the GNR for this charity is just a small thing we can do to thank them for all the support they have given to Meadow and other families in times of need .
Would you like to take on a challenge for CHECT? Visit our website, or contact our fundraising team: fundraising@chect.org.uk