Solihull Runner taking on the London Marathon after beating cancer
19-year-old Kai Thomson is lacing up his running boots to raise money for Children with Cancer UK.
The lad, from Solihull, is aiming to complete the 26.2 mile marathon to help raise money for Children with Cancer UK - the leading national children's charity dedicated to the fight against childhood cancer.
Kai was directly inspired to take on the challenge after he and his brother, Ethan, were both diagnosed with leukaemia less than a year apart.
Ethan was just 19 months and Kai was two-and-a-half when they were diagnosed and both successfully completed treatment at Birmingham Children's Hospital.
Speaking about his experiences with the disease, Kai said:
"Going through cancer treatment with Ethan was tough - not only for me to see the affect the diagnosis had on my brother, but also the impact on my parents. Looking back, I can’t even imagine the trauma that they were going through during that time. They really had to face the unthinkable, having two children diagnosed with cancer."
He also said that his advice for others facing cancer diagnosis is to "focus on the fight, not the fright."
This year, over 1,000 runners will be completing the TCS London Marathon to help raise crucial funds for Children with Cancer UK, many of whom have a personal connection to the cause.
Jo Elvin, CEO of Children with Cancer UK, said:
“We’d like to thank Kai and every single runner who is taking part in the TCS London Marathon this year for Children with Cancer UK. We’re incredibly grateful for their passion, determination (and willpower!) to take on such a huge endurance challenge and help raise vital funds to support our ground-breaking research into childhood cancers."
According to the charity, survival rates for children’s cancers are improving. Their research suggests that fifty years ago, three-quarters of children diagnosed with cancer died; today more than 8 in 10 children diagnosed with cancer in the UK survive.
The TCS London Marathon is the biggest annual fundraising event for Children with Cancer UK and this year the charity is hoping to raise £2 million.