Patient stories

Dan Dale recently joined a team of 37 riders to take on the One More City annual cycling campaign. The four-day challenge this September saw them ride from Pisa to Nice, covering nearly 600km and reaching climbs of 6,000m along the way, all to raise funds for our groundbreaking research into secondary breast cancer. Here, Dan reflects on his experience and his reason to take part…

Cyclist Chris Clothier reflects on his recent ride from Pisa to Nice as part of the One More City team, raising vital funds for our groundbreaking research into secondary breast cancer.

When he was five years old, Sam Cooper, now 33, lost his mum to sarcoma, a rare type of cancer that starts in soft tissues or bones. On 12 October, he will be running the Royal Parks Half Marathon in her memory, hoping to raise £1,000 to support our groundbreaking research.

Alex Jemmett, 31, will be running the Royal Parks Half Marathon on 12 October to raise funds for our vital research in memory of three significant people in her life who she has lost to cancer.

Luke Wijsveld, 48, will be running the Berlin Marathon on 21 September, to mark 10 years since the death of his father-in-law, Professor Chris Marshall. Chris was a pioneering cancer researcher who spent 35 years working at The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), making vital discoveries which have shaped our understanding of how cancers arise and have led to the development of advanced therapies to treat them.

Jolyon, 75, faced his own cancer diagnosis in 2018 and has also seen members of his immediate family and ‘too many friends’ touched by the disease. That’s why he has pledged to leave a gift in his Will to fund our ground-breaking research.

Rick Freedman, 50, who is Head of Research Finance at the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), explains why our summer fundraising appeal, which is supporting our melanoma research, holds personal significance for him…

Bea Buckley, 40, was diagnosed with stage 3b acral melanoma, a rare type of skin cancer, in 2022. After three surgeries and 12 months of targeted therapy, she is now disease-free and feels hopeful about the future.