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On Saturday, 2nd May 2026, I'll be joined by eleven fellow cyclists for a challenging 60-mile ride from Edinburgh to Glasgow, and we're doing it under one rallying cry:
Let's Go Mistletoe!
Every penny raised goes directly to the Camphill Wellbeing Trust — the small but mighty charity that brought me back to life when cancer had me on my knees.
Our peleton includes:
Mitchell Bryans
Johnny Foy
Liam Foy
Joe Hunter
Magnus Hunter
Nicky Lorentzen
Harvey Mackay
David Maguire
Max Maguire
Adam Monaghan
Robert Toal
Our friend Dave Lautner will also be completing the 60-mile challenge later in May!
My Cancer Story
Hi, my name is Paul McGowan. In September 2024, my world was turned upside down when I received a Stage 4 colorectal cancer diagnosis.
Earlier in the year, I had started to feel tired all the time. As the months passed by, the fatigue became completely overwhelming and was gradually accompanied by excruciating pain in my coccyx.
I struggled on, but getting through a day at work became nigh on impossible. And when I was at home, I had zero energy to spend even 10 minutes a day with my kids.
After being rushed to hospital when collapsing at work, I finally decided to find out what was going on. My GP sent me for some scans and a colonoscopy.
What they found was devastating - a tumour the size of a golf ball, cancer in my lymph nodes that had also spread to my liver.
Chemo, radiotherapy and surgery were on the cards, but I knew there were other approaches out there that I could do alongside my NHS treatments to supercharge my recovery.
Mistletoe Therapy and My Cancer Journey
My wife Sharon and I disappeared down the rabbit hole, researching lots of different options. One treatment that really struck us was mistletoe therapy.
Mistletoe extracts are widely used in integrative cancer care across Europe (especially in Germany, where it is considered a standard cancer treatment).
Mistletoe extracts boost the immune system to fight cancer at its source, improve patients' quality of life, and enhance the body's ability to tolerate chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery.
All from a simple, natural source.
We scoured the internet and found the only clinic in Scotland that offered the treatment: The Camphill Wellbeing Trust, a charity based in Aberdeen.
We filled the forms in immediately, had a Zoom meeting with their lead clinician, and the next thing I knew, I was travelling to Aberdeen to receive 2 weeks of intensive mistletoe treatment before my chemo-radiotherapy kicked off.
The treatment was life-changing.
Up until this point, I was fading fast. I could barely lift my head off the pillow. I was in constant, crippling pain and was bleeding constantly.
By the second week of my mistletoe treatment, I had gone from sleeping over 20 hours a day and being in chronic pain to being virtually symptom-free.
Since this first treatment in 2024, I have been through combined chemo-radiotherapy, intravenous and oral chemotherapy, as well as major surgery resulting in the formation of a permanent stoma.
I know that if Camphill Wellbeing Trust hadn't brought me back to life, I would never have had the energy to survive my NHS therapies.
The ongoing mistletoe treatment I continue to receive at Camphill Wellbeing Trust, as well as the therapy I administer at home, is part of a lifelong commitment to staying cancer-free.
I am fundraising for the Camphill Wellbeing Trust for the amazing work that they do quietly in the background.
We all know the big UK cancer charities, but there are smaller, incredible teams out there working tirelessly to save people’s lives, and I hope to raise a significant sum to cover the work that they do.
Each round of treatment I receive costs thousands of pounds to deliver, and I know that I will be under the care of the medical team at Camphill Wellbeing Trust for some time.
I am just starting to emerge from the other side of what has been the toughest journey of my life, but with Camphill Wellbeing Trust's help, I’m heading in the right direction. I am forever grateful for the care and support the team has given us.
I want to say thank you to all my friends and family who have been there for me, Sharon and the kids.
Thank you for joining me and supporting me on this journey. It really means the world ❤️
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All of your donations will go directly to the Camphill Wellbeing Trust, a charity registered in Scotland (Charity No. SC016291)
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Fundraising in 2026
We have lots of fun things in the pipeline to boost our fundraising efforts in 2026, so if you can help out with an event, prizes, or any other ideas, please get in touch at the "Contact" button below.
Every bit of help is gratefully received :-)