Colon cancer patient to run London Marathon

A Jersey colon cancer patient is running the London Marathon for two charities in the island.

Sam Wilkes was diagnosed with the disease in August and soon afterwards started aggressive chemotherapy treatment.

He has responded well and came off the treatment in March.

Mr Wilkes is now waiting to hear if the chemotherapy has been successful and he is doing the race to raise money for Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and Friends of Jersey Oncology (FOJO).

Mr Wilkes is a keen runner and both charities have a special meaning to him.

He said "it was a real shock" to hear he had cancer but "every step of the way the health service has been with me and it's been a really positive experience as much as it can".

"I've been impressed by Durrell and the work they do and their race - the Durrell Dash - was one of the first I did after my surgery so it really has a special place in my heart," Mr Wilkes added.

He also said "FOJO supports active cancer patients and their care has been phenomenal".

"It's very good to give back to both charities", he added, having raised more than £2,400 so far.

Melissa Rocha from FOJO first met Mr Wilkes when he started his treatment with the oncology department at Jersey General Hospital.

She said Mr Wilkes "is a really lovely guy" and "this is just an amazing achievement".

Ms Rocha added: "We're obviously completely reliant on donations and every penny goes to patients on the island."

More than 56,000 people are expected to run the London Marathon on Sunday.

Mr Wilkes admitted he hasn't been able to train as much as he normally would for the marathon.

He said "it's a really tough one" because he was only able to sign up two months ago and so he is "not quite sure how my body will hold up".

"I'm going straight for a pub once I've finished and it's been an important chapter in my life, but I am happy that has ended," he added.

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