Steve Smith knew he had a battle on his hands when he was diagnosed with bowel cancer. But the Rolls Royce worker now realises he has a bigger fight ahead of him — to try to help others who are struck down by cancer.
That’s why the father of two, 55, from Felpham, has set about raising both funds and awareness for Cancer Research UK. As part of the charity’s March for Cancer campaign, Steve is walking 10,000 steps every day throughout the month to help beat cancer.
Steve, who has raised almost £900 so far, explained:
“I was diagnosed with bowel cancer on Christmas Eve and, of course, it was devastating news. I knew I had to try to stay positive and with the help of my family and friends I managed to do that.
“I had my operation in January which went well, and I had the all clear — so now I’m cancer-free. Going through something like this really brings it home how much fundraising and awareness is needed. It’s a great cause and I’m using the 10,000 steps a day as part of my recovery process, so it’s very much a ‘win, win’ situation.”
Steve enlisted the help of a group of family and friends to boost the cause as they undertook a charity walk from Felpham to Aldwick along Bognor Regis prom on Sunday.
He added:
“It was lovely to see so many friends join us and have some fun along the way, too. It was windy and blustery but the point is that we were lucky enough to be able to go on the walk and we should never lose sight of that fact that many people simply can’t do that if they are undergoing treatment.”
If you would like to contribute to the cause, go to Steve’s fundraising page:
https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/stephens-walk-all-over-cancer-fundraising-page-20?