Beacons of Hope

A special day today at Cookstown, the 16th #TimPageFitForLife parkrun; Ruth and I encountered some very special people today.

Ailis Corey has faced treatment for Hodgkin's Lymphoma.  This included an 'allogenic' stem cell transplant.  In December 2013, I had an autologous transplant - my own stem cells - whereas allogenic is a tougher and riskier procedure, where you receive a donor's stem cells.

Happily, Ailis' sister Brenda was a match and the transplant has been a success.  So much of a success that Ailis has just returned from the British Transplant Games with a Silver in the 3k Walk and Bronze in the 10k Road Race Cycle.

Ailis, family and friends have travelled a tough road at times. Part of the battle was to campaign for funding within NI of the drug Brentuximab. More details are at Ailis' Support Fund Facebook page which includes a photo montage of Liverpool successes.

The word 'Inspiring' simply doesn't do justice to the resilience & spirit lived out by Ailis and family & friends.

An audio interview with Ailis by journalist Gillian McDade is here. 

Arriving at MUSA, we met Julie Kelly.  Tragically, Julie's sister Lynne died of cancer.  Julie and some running friends have established Seapark Charity Runners to support two charities - Macmillan and Brainwaves NI.    

Julie explained that, as well as running her way around all Northern Ireland parkruns, she has also just completed 10 x 10k runs.  It was good to swap notes with Julie about NI's parkruns - we were both impressed by the beauty of the Enniskillen course.  Again today, here was human resilience and an outward-looking generative response to aftermath of a horrible disease.

Julie and team's JustGiving page is here.

Run Director Irwin Spiers gave a very warm welcome today, inviting me to say a few words to the runners and volunteers.  Er, next time, I'll need to remember to click the mega-phone trigger button - but I'm learning and won't make that mistake again.

The regular physio and rehab exercises after recent injury are doing the job of keeping my running condition ok.  I'm grateful for the encouragement of colleagues John Purvis, Cathal O'Neill and Phil Lockett  - the BT posse - who ran with me today.  With Cathal timing, I got a 30 second walk-break every four minutes and still came in under 40 minutes... Good to be getting back on form.  

We're now into a #TimPageFitForLife pattern of asking parkrun Volunteers to join in a group photo before/after the race, to recognise the fact that 

"No volunteers... No parkrun!"

Thanks to the MUSA Cookstown team for the warm welcome today. 

We got in the car and headed home to Holywood, listening to Radio Ulster.  

On the same day that we met Ailis and heard about her success at the Transplant Games, serendipity struck.

We were delighted to hear Lucia Quinney Mee speaking.  The Quinney Mees are family friends and they, also, have faced a challenging road at times. Lucia, who has endured and come through three liver transplants, was also at the Transplant Games.  Lucia won seven medals!   

Lucia's interview is on BBC iPlayer until 3-Sep, here, and her 6 minute story is worth listening to.

Lucia has also recently created a blog, live-loudly-donate-proudly.org - I can recommend this excellent post.

What a day... running performance regained, another friendly parkrun community, stories of resilience & support through adversity  and a timely reminder of the vital benefit of transplants - a spur to renew our #TimPageFitForLife effort to give people an opportunity to sign up as stem cell donors.

Thank you for support.

Today's album is here and next week I'll be at Colin Glen.

Best wishes,
Tim

Project Objectives

Tim's Running Progress

Well, what a week that was.

An exciting week in BT work, supporting the launch of BT Sport On EE:

Mid-week, I resumed running, thanks to benefits of an ongoing physio programme

Then, on Thursday, NI's Regulation & Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) Belfast Marathon runners and Office team handed over £621 to LLNI.

#TimPageFitForLife exceeded double the £5000 target for LLNI donations, with £10028 raised to date for vital research, in the same week that LLNI's Joanne Badger handed me the recent NI Institute of Fundraising nomination. 

I completed the Armagh run yesterday, with great support from BT colleagues and friends.

Armagh is a particularly beautiful course - a mix of hilly parkland and woodland.

There was a sense of close local community amongst the runners - I guess the 'further out' parkruns, not close to many other runs, tend to have a more constant attendance.

Thanks to Run Director Mark Lundy for the warm welcome.

It was great to have work colleagues Liz Leckey and Brenda Hilley along on their first parkrun.
I really appreciated BT colleague & runner Gavin McBride's pace-setting.  We alternated between 3 minutes running and 30 seconds walk.  Perhaps it was due to Gavin's guidance that I headed home with no muscle pain and hopeful for a straight run ahead through the remaining 7 venues.

Armagh photo album is here, thanks to Sarah Irwin for the amazing cake!

Next week, we're at Cookstown. 

Through August & September, as well as running and fund-raising, we'll be

1. Working with DKMS to drive up the number of prospective stem cell donors, and,
2. Producing video interviews about the role of fitness, medical care and research in preventing and treating blood cancers

As the final two months of our #TimPageFitForLife project start tomorrow... ideas, offers of support & publicity, donations and questions for the video interviews are all very welcome.

Best wishes,
Tim

Project Objectives

Tim's Running Progress

237 runners today at Belfast Waterworks - the photo album is here, parkrun results here.  I was aiming for less than 40 minutes again today, and pleased with 37:05. 

It was great to have BT colleague Mark Crothers running with me again.  Last week at Victoria Park, Mark kept reminding me to keep my head up - helps breathing - and these reminders were necessary again.  Waterworks has two inclines; you go up each twice and 'small steps' is the approach to
take.  On one incline, I was finding it tough going and Mark said "Keep breathing!".  This took me straight back to the day in December 2014 when I walked into Belfast City Hospital Ward 10 North for stem cell transplant, not totally relaxed, and the admitting nurse said "All you have to do is keep breathing!"  Generally good advice.

It was also great to have Patricia McAuley and friends Heather Chestnutt, Karl & Kerri Thrower, Parkrun Jim, Eric Morrison, David Mark, Alistair Shaw and Claire Bell running today.

Rosy Ryan had been in touch before today, and I hope to catch up with Rosy about her own life and running experiences later in the year. When I found the going getting tough today, Rosy deployed a catchy mantra...

"My feet are light, my legs are strong, I can keep this pace all day long!"

On Easter Monday, I'm off to India with work for a couple of weeks, where I intend to stay fit and lose some more weight - one stone down, two stone still to go.  Below, there's the updated progress against objectives table.

I wish you a very Happy Easter, and look forward to seeing people at Bangor's Ward Park on 16 April

Project Objectives

Tim's Running Progress

A great turnout today at Victoria Park for the launch of TimPageFitForLife - the photo album is here.

parkrun results lists today's 209 runners... congratulations to Alistair Shaw and Jonathan Cupples on their first parkrun.  I was aiming to beat 40 minutes, so really pleased with a Personal Best 'PB' of 36:22.  As you can see, I was a bit late stopping runkeeper...

With access to Victoria Park's pavilion, we registered 30 more people as prospective stem cell donors with Delete Blood Cancer.  This is a potentially life-saving act - thank you to Ruth, Joanne and all the people who signed up today.

Project Objectives

Tim's Running Progress

Thank you to family, friends, colleagues and everyone for support in the run-up to today.

Big thanks to Belfast City Council for confirming today that, after tomorrow's parkrun, #TimPageFitForLife can use one of the rooms in Victoria Park Pavilion to enable people to register as prospective stem cell donors with Delete Blood Cancer.

Blood cancers affect the production and function of your blood cells.  For many blood cancer patients, a stem cell donation is their only chance of survival, but around 50% of patients never find the match they need.  The more donors that sign up, the more lives can be saved.

To register as a potential stem cell donor, you must be

• 17-55 years old
• in good general health
• willing to donate to any person in need

If you meet these requirements, you can complete a consent form & swab the inside of your cheeks to collect cells to be sent off for analysis.

For more information on signing up with Delete Blood Cancer, call into the Pavilion from 09.45 and you speak with one of the team.

There's a good video on donation here.

“At the pool of Bethesda, Jesus healed a man who couldn't walk” – John 5:1-15

Unwell through Autumn 2013, with relapsed aggressive lymphoma, I lived in Belfast City Hospital for nearly 6 months.  Over time I lost power and mobility, due to weakness and being confined to bed with up to 6 pumps attached to me for a week at a time.

Suffering from ‘cabin fever’, I recall a precious half hour ‘jailbreak’ in the sun outside the Cancer Centre with son Chris, and Chris Agnew, as we enjoyed a Polly Pineapple each.

By May 2014, convalescence was progressing.  Ruth and I could visit Barcelona for our wedding anniversary.  By the sea, there’s a spacious plaza and I could barely contain the sheer pleasure of being alive, well and able to walk about freely under the expansive blue sky.  Truly, “He had led me into an open space.” (Psalm 18:19)

At Bethesda, Jesus did not say “Get up, take your bedroll and sit down to watch Jeremy Kyle on daytime TV.”

Rather, he asked a question, “Do you want to get well?”, and then directed the invalid of 38 years to “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.”

Along with Jesus’ gift of healing came freedom, individual autonomy and an opportunity to move forwards.

On return to work on 1 September 2014, I was still weak.  Signing up with a Personal Trainer for two sessions a week proved to be a good decision and I’m now the strongest I’ve ever been.  Getting fitter, I resolved to complete a 5k run in 2015 and, on Saturday 5-November, I joined 161 runners to run three laps of Belfast’s Victoria Park.  The encouraging words of other runners and onlookers – “You can do it!”, “Nearly there!”, “Keep going!” – remain with me three months later.  Of 162 runners, I finished 162nd.  But I finished.  Exhausted, I sat down.  Suddenly, tears of gratitude for running the race.  A lingering parkrun volunteer greeted this trailing runner.  His presence, positivity and gentle support will remain with me for ever.

In December, I decided to set myself the challenge of running all 22 Northern Ireland parkruns.  Then, on New Year’s Eve 2015, Roger Grant encouraged me (that word again!) to run in support of a charity. 

So, from March, each Saturday, I will join each NI parkrun to advance the aims of a “Fit For Life” project which include:

1. Raising £5000 for local research charity Leukaemia and Lymphoma NI
2. Encouraging people to register with Delete Blood Cancer as potential stem cell donors
3. Promoting the benefits of fitness for everyone

The first run will be 19-March at Victoria Park.  On 16-April at 09.15, I’ll be at Bangor’s Ward Park.  You are welcome to come along to run or to cheer people on.

In the words of hymn 739 - “May I run the race before me, strong and brave to face the foe, looking only unto Jesus as I onward go.”

For more information on this project see www.timpagefitforlife.com