Last skiing holiday fundraiser
A big thanks to Shrewsbury’s octogenarian ski-lover who has raised more than £1,400 for us after hitting the slopes for one last time!
John Adamson visited the French Alps last month for his final skiing holiday – at the age of 85 insurance has now become too expensive for him to pursue his passion. As a survivor of two bouts of cancer – one a carcinoma on his leg and a more recent squamous cell carcinoma on the base of his tongue – John wanted to do something to say thanks for the care and treatment given to him.
Along with his wife Judy, John spent a week enjoying his lifelong hobby and proudly took our flag to the top of the world!
John has always been a keen skier but when he suffered from a sore throat in 2022 which later transpired to be a side effect of cancer, he had to take a break. Unfortunately, John’s age now means insurance cover for skiing is now prohibitive, but he chose to organise the fundraiser to give something back.
“I wouldn’t be able to walk, let alone ski, if it wasn’t for everyone at the Centre so I just want to say thank you and raise some money. I was at the Keswick Beer Festival in June 2022 when I started with a sore throat. I had had carcinoma on the back of my leg before Covid and I wondered if it would be something like that. I asked my GP if it could be but they weren’t sure.
“Eventually I was referred to head and neck consultants who unfortunately missed it, and then I went to A&E in April 2023 because I was sick from coughing so much and it was full of blood. Various tests were all fairly inconclusive and I had to have a general anaesthetic and biopsies. Eventually they found it was squamous cell carcinoma and it had spread to my lymph nodes. I was given IV antibiotics.
“I was very ill and was hospitalised for sometime. We decided on going down the curative care route because I was fit and active and so we started radical Radiotherapy in August 2023 – 14months after my initial sore throat. Once I was at Lingen Davies Cancer Centre I felt very well cared for and since then I’ve had support from dieticians, nutritionists, head and neck clinical nurse specialists, and support groups.
“Radiotherapy was very intense, six weeks Monday to Friday, intensive as you can get. Claustrophobia was a problem in the head cages, I had to have two different ones to cater to the change in shape. I lay there and used to imagine I was on a walk, and then I’d imagine I was skiing, it really helped take my mind off it!
“I told one of the nurses I was thinking about skiing and they put the music to Ski Sunday on the player – that was really lovely. I’ve had my ups and downs but I’ve gradually got stronger. I’ve always been a skier and missed it, when we went in January this year it was two years since I’d last been. Looking back the cancer was probably making me feel more tired than I would have been otherwise.”
Following his week on the slopes John said: “I’m feeling tremendously grateful that I was able to go and make this trip. It was definitely one of mixed emotions, I was sad that it was my last time, but also relieved that I was able to do it and make a bit for Lingen Davies too. I’m so thankful I’m here at all, and would like to say a big thanks to everyone who’s supported me.”
Karen Roberts, Lingen Davies fundraiser, said a big thanks to John for his efforts.
“John has already raised the fabulous sum of £1,449 and I know there’s still more to come. What a great way to say thanks, doing something he loves, but which sadly will be his last trip.”
The funds will support the purchase of new equipment for the Lingen Davies Cancer Centre, enable more projects for patients to be rolled out, and also further develop the charity’s LiveLife Cancer Awareness work, to highlight the signs and symptoms of cancer in the wider community.
To support John’s fundraiser visit the link: John Adamson is fundraising for Lingen Davies Cancer Fund
