So this is my second year doing the 10K Great North Swim, and again I am doing this for those nice people at The Christie.  There are lots of worthy causes and needs out there in the world, but this one is close to my heart.

For those who don't know my back story, I was first diagnosed with in Testicular Cancer 2009 and have been on intimate terms with The Christie and their work since then.

My main story (it's all about me) doesn't change - the headline dates and milestones remain the same:

• January 2009.  First cancer (seminoma).  Removal of my right testicle (radical inguinal orchiectomy).
• Februrary 2009. Ten days of radiation treatment (20Gy).
• March 2010.  Second cancer (embryonal carcinoma). Removal of my left testicle.
• September 2010.  Nine weeks of intensive chemotherapy (three rounds of the BEP protocol) due to a relapse.
• December 2010, NED (no evidence of disease) and cancer free since then.
• December 2015, the magic five year anniversary.  
• December 2020, the ultra magic ten year anniversary - not there yet but looking forward!

What does change is this - I am still here.  It's ten years since the start of my journey.  

During my treatment, the course of radiotherapy was a choice (part of the optional protocols available given my first cancer staging).  However the nine weeks of BEP chemotherapy were not optional.  Whilst testicular cancer is curable, without the chemotherapy treatment the relapse I suffered would have killed me - I would be dead.

I would not be here today, period.

This last statement is very important, to me clearly, but also as a message to the wider world.  The only reason that the BEP protocol was discovered to work so well for testicular cancer was because of global research projects, and because of places like The Christie.  Not just for their care and excellence in treatment, but also for their research and training facilities.

Cancer is a horrible disease that touches so many people, in so many different ways.  But more cancers are becoming "curable" (though they don't like to use that word much with cancer), and more are having their survival rates and treatment regimes greatly improved. 

It is through people and charities like The Christie that these improvements are made.  

And that's why I am after whatever donation you can give.  Any donations, no matter how big/small they are, make a difference.

Yours in all things swimming, I thank you.

Jonathan / Bill

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