Brave cancer patient Becky joining brothers and friends on marathon walk in aid of Christie charity

Becky Preece, from South Shore, received the shocking diagnosis early last year after finding a lump in her neck.

Treatment and surgery over the following few months appeared successful, but earlier this year, the cancer returned and Becky will shortly be undergoing her second round of radioactive iodine therapy – a type of internal radiotherapy used to treat thyroid cancer – at The Christie in Manchester.

In the meantime, she has been fit enough to return to work as a teaching assistant at St John’s School in Blackpool town centre– and is determined to join brothers Ashley and Cory, along with a group of friends, for the latter part of a marathon walk starting early on Friday, September 9, which will see them trek 68 miles from Blackpool to Scafell Pike in the Lake District, followed by 10 miles up Scafell itself.

Entitled the ‘Superman Walk’, it’s in aid of The Christie and an initial target of £1,000 in sponsorship has already been smashed.

"I’m so grateful for the support – everybody has been so thoughtful generous,” said Becky.

"Of course it was a shock to be given the diagnosis – I randomly felt a lumping my neck and got it checked out. I’d advise everyone to check their next.

"It was another shock when the cancer returned this year, but the doctors are pleased with the way the treatment has been going and the prognosis is good.

"Apparently, it’s not as uncommon in someone my age as people might think and has a good recovery rate.

"It was good to get back to work and I’m looking forward to joining the walk.”

Ashley and Corey will set off from Whitegate Drive at 5.30am on Friday and hope to be finished by Saturday evening. In total, they’ll be covering nearly 70 miles in just 32 hours and they’ll be joined by around 30 friends and family members at different points of the journey.

Becky herself is travelling to the Lake District by car and is determined to cover the 10 miles up Scafell, at 978 metres high, the tallest mountain in England.

“When Becky was first diagnosed, it really shook us to the core,” said Ashley. “You just never expect someone so young to have cancer.

“Becky is going through such a difficult time with her treatment, so it seemed right that we do something equally as difficult in her honour."We’ve been really touched by people’s generosity and want to raise as much money as possible so that The Christie can do more for more people like Becky.”

Becky’s friend Stacey Bowdell, will be one of the 15 joining Ashley and Cory for the whole walk, with 15 more joining for the Scafell leg. Stacey said: “We’re determined to raise as much as we can in Becky’s honour. We have all been walking as many miles as we can in preparation.

"Lots of people have prepared by climbing Scafell, some a number of times but myself and another who is completing the walk are members of CrossFit Blackpool who have been great in helping us preparation for the walk.

"We did 1,000 step ups each, which is the closest workout to actually completing the walk.”

The Christie charity supports the work of The Christie NHS Foundation Trust providing enhanced services over and above what the NHS funds.

That includes money for care and treatment, research, education and extra patient services and official say gifts from the public make a huge difference to the care and treatment that The Christie is able to provide to patients and their families.

Ciara Frainey, sporting events co-ordinator at The Christie charity, said: “The fact that Ashley and Cory are taking on such a massive challenge for us is amazing and really shows how much The Christie means to them and their family.

“We’re really grateful for their support and wish them all the best on the day.”

Details of how to contribute to the Superman walk appeal are at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Ashley-Preece4