Brighton Marathon run for Jon's Pancreatic Cancer treatment

Hi, my name is Daniel and I'm challenging myself to run a Marathon in Brighton with my good friend Bryony in February 2025 (exact date to be confirmed nearer the time). Her fiancé Jonathon Ward is receiving life-extending Pancreatic Cancer treatment.

Jon has been receiving private treatment at an oncology clinic in Germany since May 2024 thanks to the amazing support of all his family, close friends and many generous donors such as you!!

With your support his disease has been re-classified as "STABLE" (it had been "progressive" before).

The treatment he needs can't be provided by the NHS which only provide standard chemotherapy options which are Folfirinox and Gemcitabine/Abraxine. His tumors were resistant to these options and the treatment in Germany includes an immunotherapy called Keytruda (Pembrulizumab), a targeted chemotherapy called Enhertu (Trastuzumab) and a tablet to block the blood vessels to the tumors (Levantanib). All of these drugs are used in the UK!

Jon can't obtain these drugs in the UK due to licensing restrictions. They are only used to treat breast and stomach cancer, which he doesn't have! Therefore, Jon travels to Germany once a month to obtain these treatments, which are expensive.

However, with donations and support from amazing people such as you, there is now a possibility of achieving complete remission!! A possibility of beating Stage 4 Pancreatic Cancer!

He may receive specific radiotherapy called PSMA Radiotherapy. Even if he can't receive this though, the success of his current treatment in Germany is HUGE, and continuing this treatment will allow him longevity and comfort for far longer than if he wasn't accessing it.

My target is to raise £500 which will all go towards the cost of the immunotherapy he receives in Germany. This treatment has been a major success and will add years to his life; without this treatment he might not be here today!

Jon has been extremely resilient and courageous in the face of his diagnosis and he continues to remain happy, lively and optimistic in spite of all the grueling treatments. His determination is awe-inspiring; he loves art, music and spreads that joy into other people's lives.

If you've been willing to read this far, thank you!! It means so much to me, Jon's family and to everyone connected to Jon.

The Marathon!!

This will be one of the greatest challenges of my life so far! I started training for this at the end of November 2024 and I have been amazed at how much I am enjoying it :)

I am very used to doing sport and I did a lot of Swimming at school but I have rarely ran more than 10 kilometres in one go, preferring to do short quick runs. Doing the grand distance of 42.2 kilometres will therefore be an amazing feat for me to achieve and I'm sure it will require all the energy and endurance I have.

I will need lots of encouragement as I attempt to build my milage up to around 25-30 Kilometres!! I am following a training plan with the Nike Run Club which is an 18 week plan. I probably won't be able to complete the whole training plan before the run. At this stage (January), I am on the 4th week of my training and I will need to build up my milage. I am aiming for a sub-5 hour marathon.

I will provide updates on the exact date in accordance with Bryony's commitments and Jon's treatments.

Please support me with a donation, no matter how small! All the proceeds will go directly into a fund for the immunotherapy treatment Jon needs to keep him alive!

To learn more about Jon's Cancer experience, please visit his website: https://fightforward.uk

Jon (left) with his fiancé Bryony; his Mum Valerie and his Dad Tony

Jon (right) with his younger brother Alex (left), who kick-started the fundraising effort in May 2024 to obtain private treatment abroad.

Jon asked her to marry him and she said yes!! Picture taken January 2024.