Hi, my name’s Hugo, and I want to share the story of my friend Olly.

I’ve known him since kindergarten - photos of the two of us when we were younger can be seen on the page. There we are looking well chuffed with ourselves in all aspects of life.

But life hasn’t all been sunshine and rainbows since then.

When we were in Year 7, Olly was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer in his foot. Thankfully, doctors caught it early and were able to remove the tumour successfully. After months of recovery, he was back on the sports pitches within a year.

Olly went on to Wellington College for senior school and was absolutely thriving. Things were looking bright - until A-Levels came around, and sadly, so did the cancer.

This time, it returned more aggressively in the same area. Olly was advised by his doctors that in order to prevent the cancer, called sarcoma, from spreading, he would need to undergo two rounds of intensive chemotherapy, followed by an amputation of his lower leg.

At just 18 years old, Olly was faced with news that none of us could ever imagine. Yet, through it all, he stayed incredibly positive and strong. Words can’t describe what he and his family went through, but he kept smiling, pushing forward, and showing unbelievable mental resilience.

Now, where do I come in?

I’m currently on my gap year, travelling through Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia. After my travels, I’ll be taking on three major challenges - all to raise money for Sarcoma UK, a charity closely linked with Olly.

I’ll start with the Stockholm Marathon on May 30th, then climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya the subsequent week, and finally finish with a three-day, 96-mile ultramarathon across England (25th-27th June) — tracing key places in my life and mine and Olly’s friendship. It’ll all finish where it began: at Eaton House the Manor Prep School on Clapham Common, where Olly will join me for the last two miles - to show what true resilience looks like and to celebrate how incredible the human spirit can be.

So please, all I can ask is for any donations, 'every little helps', to a cause that has become close to my heart due to the tragic events that have unfolded during Olly’s life. Every donation means so much more than just money - it’s a show of support for Olly and for everyone fighting battles like his.

A little bit about Sarcoma UK and what Sarcoma cancer is: