As some of you may know, on 20th December 2009 I was diagnosed with Lymphoma (cancer) - not the sort of Christmas present you ever want to get.

For me personally, it affected my chest, the bone marrow in my spine and several lymph glands, including those in my stomach. At the time I was given a 50/50 chance of beating it...

For the past 10 months I've been in and out of hospital having a myriad of tests, chemotherapy sessions and what felf like world-record quantities of needles and tubes stuck into and pulled out of me! When the doctors told me the lymphoma was responding well to the chemo - it was music to my ears!
The treatment culminated a couple of months ago in a hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) where doctors harvested the stem cells in my blood, then gave me an intensive course of chemo (which would hospitalise me for a month!). The upside of the 'turbo chemo' is that it supposed to totally kill off the cancer, vastly reducing the chance of it returning. The down side is that it takes my immune system down to zero - or an absolute neutrophil count of zero as the doctors might say - which can be fatal!
With my immune system at zero, my previously harvested stem cells were then reintroduced to help my body rebuild its immunity...It can then take months or in some cases a year or so to recover from this procedure, thankfully I repair fast and was starting to feel better in a few weeks.


I'm happy to say that I've recently been given the all clear(for now anyway) and tonight I went to the gym to start work on returning to the fitness level I enjoyed 18 months ago.

They say it's good to set yourself goals, so I've decided to train for the Birmingham Half Marathon - which takes place in just 16 days!!
I'll be running it in aid of Lymphoma Research Trust and would be very grateful to anyone who can help me reach my target of raising £2,000.

If you'd like to sponsor my run, you can do it here: http://www.justgiving.com/MartinHadland

Many thanks in advance.
Martoon

 

best of luck martin

 

16 days away! I always knew you were bloody mental but that sums you up I guess Best of luck with the marathon and I hope you are feeling better and wish you well for the future

 

Martin


Maybe next year we will get back to having that london to brighton bike grudge match!!



Good Luck!!

 

Donated

 

Donated! Wish you all the luck with it Martin!

 

Best of luck Martin, stay strong mate

 

Good Luck Martin - just donated a little towards the run

 

All the best Martin
Wish you a full and speedy recovery

Terry

 

you go martin

 

donated

mods,maybe make this a sticky?

 

I heard about you not been well. Its a bloody horrible thing is cancer. My wife has done loads of things to help out with the breast cancer trust. Both my mam and my mother in law got breast cancer 2 months before i got married. Me and the wife just couldnt believe they both got it exactly the same time. Touch wood they are both ok now though. Cancer affects a lot of people now a days. The treatments seem to get better and better. I hope you do well on your run.

 

Wow mate 16 days, that's a real task

Nice to see your back to "normal" life again and hope it will stay like that

Donated for you aswell

 

Donated!!

 

that's very good news. hoping the same for a bloke I work with, he has exactly the same shit you had, started his chemo in jan, and had his stem cells re introduced 2 months ago, was a shock to all of us at work, he don't smoke /drink etc and has rode his bike to work the last 30+ years, was as fit as could be!

 

I only had my stem cells re introduced 3 months ago so although I'm all clear at the moment its still a waiting game. Did he have his own cells or a relatives?

Thanks for the nice comments everyone. I will take you up on that next year Dave

 

I don't usually bother with all this sponsoring as it can be never ending, but...On this occasion I'm going to.

Best of luck getting ready for the run and best of luck in the future with your health

 

Donated

Martin you're a credit to mankind chap. Take it easy.

 

Gooo Martoooon!

 

Donated

 

I know exactly how you feel, fella, having been through the same since 2006. Still having the odd 5 days in hospital for chest infections here and there.
Good luck to you in everything you do!

 

Glad you are on the road to recovery mate........

 

Seem's alot of the stickys do get missed, this way the thread keeps going back up.

Good luck with the run..

 

I agree with the sticky thing I can keep bringing it back up to the top by commenting (like this!) Anyhow its only 15 days away...

 

Done.

 

Excellent news!
and good luck with the training.........

 

Just donated.
Pretty close to 4 figures now

 

Donated.

All the best for the future Martin.

 

Yep the same his own stem cells reintroduced, It was just over 2 months ago, tho he caught a bad virus in hospital, due to no imune system, so put his recovery back a bit, hes still at the stage of going to hospital 2/3 times a week have constant blood tests and check ups



Oh yeah dontated

 

Almost everyone caught some sort of infection in the ward one guy sadly didnt make it , I was lucky had a very mild cold that lasted 3 weeks and kept an eye on my temperature twice a day and have been fine.

Thanks to those who have donated so far Were at £1220 now

 

can i ask where you had the stem cell treatment? Im sure there was the only one place doing it in london, Barts?

 

Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, about 3.5 miles from my house, there were people there from way outside Birmingham so I was lucky to be local. I even managed to get out early because I was so close, really really hated it in there!

 

donated, im glad your on the road to recovery .good luck with your marathon

 

Good luck with the marathon Martin, just remember that you don't need to complete it in a time you were used to running before the illness.

I was going to enter the birmingham one myself but will give it a miss. I did the Hereford half earlier in the year and the walkathon carrying a 40lb bergan.

I have set myself up for this next year, 30 miles a day over 5 days from St bees cumbria to Robin hoods bay so will be training for that.

Donated to a worthy cause

 

Good luck Martin

 

Bump.
Getting close to the target now
http://www.justgiving.com/MartinHadland

 

Did my first run last night as a bit of test, ran 5.5 miles and found it hard going. Not surprising I suppose as checking my running watch to see when I last ran can back with 8 June 09 Hopefully its gonna get easier

 

My goodness I'd heard rumours of you being 'poorly' (major understatement) you really have been to hell and back, fantastic news you are all clear! Then still to run 5.5 miles on your first outing (I couldn't do that )
Will defo sponsor you, very best with the training!

 

i heard a wee while ago you were having treatment martin....glad you are on the mend/ all clear now, my mrs has has a tumour removed from her neck last few months (all clear now) and its a worrying time.

you are nearer the 2k target now

bttt

 

£2004 after my little donation......targets been met folks. good luck martoon.