James Hayes, Christie supporter

James took on The Christie Challenge to complete 6 fundraising activities in 12 months. He was inspired to support The Christie charity after his dad was treated at the hospital for stage 4 bowel cancer.

The diagnosis in 2017 came as a real shock to James, his dad, and the whole family. James said it turned their lives upside down and came with no warning at all.

James’s dad sadly died on 26 July 2021. Before he died, he had over 80 rounds of chemotherapy at The Christie. James said his dad always had a smile on his face throughout his treatment – even when there was very little to smile about.

All of James’s family say they are so grateful for The Christie charity. James says that without the support The Christie charity provides to the hospital, his dad would not have seen the last 4 years.

For his Christie Challenge, James took on 6 mammoth running challenges. They were The Great Northern Mud Run by Total Warrior (7 miles and 25 obstacles), the Tour of Tameside Hero half marathon, the Trimpell 20 (20 miles), the Wilmslow half marathon, the London marathon, and the Manchester marathon.

“I took part in The Christie Challenge running 105 miles in total, across 6 different events in memory of my dad and as a huge thank you to everything The Christie did for my family.
“It was genuinely my pleasure taking part in the challenge and I am pleased that I could contribute to help the great work of The Christie.”

The Christie Challenge is to complete 6 different fundraising activities over the year. Whether you want to do a sponsored run, organise a bake sale or host an online quiz night, you can get involved.

If you want to help The Christie charity keep moving in 2021 and through 2022, sign up for The Christie Challenge.