Hi my name is Blake, I’m not the fittest and certainly not the healthiest, however this last year has been pretty life changing. At the end of last year I was diagnosed with a rare thyroid condition that impacted my breathing along with my ability to swallow and required major surgery. Shortly after this diagnosis my fiancee was diagnosed with breast cancer and required chemotherapy and surgery. To say it’s been hard is a massive understatement especially with a toddler but every cloud has a silver lining as we are now both ok and have met some incredible people along the way. The people who have looked after us and offered their time, effort and knowledge to making sure we have the best care and treatment whether that be medical, emotional or mental, we have always felt supported and safe. This is why we would like to give something back! I will be raising this money for 2 charities;

We are MENTORS:

https://www.wearementors.net  
Although I did not have a head and neck cancer, the people who treated me with groundbreaking surgery, and looked after me during my recovery are the founders of and heavily involved with this charity. They made me feel safe and gave me the best care from diagnosis to recovery.
We are mentors are a charity that provide community and support to people going through head and neck cancers. They are a team of doctors, nurses, speech therapists, dieticians, managers and patients who have dedicated their time to create a community and safe place to help others through their journey.
Friends of Jersey Oncology:

https://fojo.je

Friends of Jersey Oncology are a charity whose purpose is to help all patients and their families through their cancer journey. Their main aim is to provide non states funded personalised support to each patient as well as raising money to provide equipment for the oncology unit here in Jersey, Channel Islands. They also fund additional nursing courses for staff to help provide the best care and treatment to islanders. I believe they are vital to each patient’s journey and the life saving care the unit provides.

This year has been a massive eye opener for me when it comes to health but also seeing and feeling the kindness of strangers who want to help and dedicate their time to making others feel more comfortable, less scared and alone. This experience has been both inspiring and humbling.
So to get in shape but also to give back to these amazing people and the causes they give their time to, I will be running the AJ Bell great Manchester run half marathon 31/05/26
This is my couch to 21k