Smithy Does the London Marathon

After getting married to his wife Samantha on the 2nd September 2011, Christopher Smith had no idea what his first year of marriage had instore for him. After four operations, numerous visits to hospital, radiotherapy and conceiving a child he is, in April this year, running the London Marathon.

 

 

"I owe my life to my surgeon Mrs Donaldson-Hugh and her team and promised her I would run the marathon to raise money for her research".

 

Chris has always kept himself fit and has previously run the London Marathon twice for his fellow crew men at Morecambe RNLI. "I proposed to my wife in April 2010 when I crossed over the finish line." said the hopeless romantic.

However, six weeks after his wedding day, the Lancaster community beat police officer from Heysham was admitted to Lancaster A & E with dizzy spells whilst at work.

 He was later diagnosed with a benign meniginoma (non cancerous tumour in the head) and endured two opeations, one being an 8 hour crainiotomy to remove the tumour the size of a golf ball .

"I started with a few headaches on honeymoon in Jamaica but put that down to the cocktails" commented chris. Amazingly, he was walking around the hospital just 12 hours after his operation with his coincidental Jamaican consultant shocked at how well he had recovered. He even could see without glasses for the first time in 22 years.

 

Once he returned home he made a few visits back to hospital from Heysham to Preston due to a number of infections. This resulted in a move to Garstang to help with the commute to hospital, and relieve his wife who owned and worked at the Pickerings Country House Hotel while caring for her husband. 

 

At Christmas 2011 he was admitted to hospital to have another operation to remove part of his skull through fear of an infection. "I was in hospital for all Christmas and New Year", " My wife and family brought Christmas to me with presents, a cheeseboard, champagne and even a visit from santa".

Once out of hospital Chris was given precautionary radiotherapy and by March 2012 welcomed the miraculous news he was going to be a father.

"We had looked into IVF as the doctors had said the radiotherapy can interfere with fertility" said his wife Samantha, "We were gobsmacked but thrilled, and gave us something to concentrate on".

 

In August 2012 he had a titanium plate fitted to his skull " I've yet to test if I set off the alarms in the airport",joked Chris  "The lads at work are calling me robocop" .

 

 On the 26th November 2012 the couple welcomed baby Frederick Peter James 8lb 3oz, and after a short period in Neonatal he is now full of smiles and likely to be tall just like his 6ft 5 father.

 

After an eventful year and just 8 months after his final operation he is set to run 26 miles to raise funds for his surgeon and team to research brain tumours at Preston Neurological centre. "I am extremely lucky and have to give something back to say thank you". Chris is halfway through his training and aiming to run the marathon under 5 hours. 

" I've lost four stone, can see without glasses for the first time in 22 years, back perading the streets with work, and I feel amazing".