When June talks about her dad, Joe, it’s clear how loved he was. A dedicated family man and the life and soul of the party, Joe came to the UK in the 1980s and, despite not speaking a word of English, made it his home and built a life for his family. Sadly, he passed away far too young, just before turning 50. For June, running her first marathon was a way to pass his memory onto her children and turn her loss into hope for other families affected by cancer.
When I’m talking about it, even though it’s been over 15 years, it feels like yesterday again. You don’t get over the grief, you just learn to live with it.
Diagnosed with a rare nasal cancer
Joe had been to the GP after feeling unwell for several months, with symptoms including a sore head and random nosebleeds. Cancer was not originally thought to be the cause, but after multiple appointments pushing for further clarity, a biopsy confirmed that he had a rare type of nasal cancer.
After undergoing treatment in Hong Kong, where he was born, Joe went into remission. He returned to Scotland, took early retirement, went on holidays and enjoyed life. Unfortunately, the cancer came back for a second time, and then a third. Without further treatment options available, Joe passed away just one month before his 50th birthday.
Recently, on her own birthday, June decided she wanted to give back and do something in memory of her dad. Inspired by stories she had read online, she decided to run the London Marathon and picked Worldwide Cancer Research as her chosen charity.
Running the London marathon for new cancer cures
June knew that she wanted to run for a cancer charity, and as she scrolled through the options, the yellow and pink logo of Worldwide Cancer Research stood out to her. She visited the website to find out more about its work and, convinced it was the right choice, submitted her application straight away.
The strangest coincidence, and the moment June really felt her dad was still with her, came when she noticed Worldwide Cancer Research’s address - the very same building that June worked in.
You can’t make stuff like that up. My mum said, "It’s fate, your dad made that happen for you".
Bringing the whole family closer to him
Even with the long days and sore knees from training for the marathon June kept going, with her dad’s memory motivating her every step. Sometimes she would break down and cry - not because it was tough, but because every step reminded her why she was doing it, and just how proud her dad would have been.
Running has also opened up powerful conversations with June’s sons. They never met their grandfather, but now they’re getting to know him through June’s fundraising - who he was, and why the choice to run for new cures mattered.
With every step, Curestarters like June are helping to transform loss into action, contributing to vital cancer research that could help more families in the future.
Supporting Worldwide Cancer Research will hopefully mean that other families won’t have to go through what we went through as a family. Hopefully there’ll be cures, treatments and preventions in the future.
Worldwide Cancer Research starts new cures to stop cancer
At the critical first stage of the research journey
Because there has been a 25% decline in global funding for discovery research since 2006, even though all new tests and treatments for cancer rely on it.
Into any type of cancer - however rare or well-known
Because there are over 200 different types of cancer and while some have seen dramatic improvements in survival rates over recent years, others have not.
From world-class scientists anywhere in the world
Because ideas that could transform our understanding of how we can solve big cancer problems like resistance, spread, and late diagnosis, could come from anywhere.
