An amuptee cancer patient has hand-cycled for more than 40 miles along Hadrian’s Wall to help raise money in his battle for survival.
Chris Carberry, ambassador for the children’s cancer charity, CLIC Sargent, is nothing short of an inspiration.
He has recently returned from Northumbria, having been supported by 31 members of his friends and family on his journey along the Roman landmark.
At the age of just 19, Mr Carberry was diagnosed with a rare bone cancer in his leg called Osteosarcoma. The cancer was discovered after Chris, now 21, stepped off a curb one day and broke his thigh bone.
With treatments not working as well as hoped, the St Helens man needed to have to have his leg amputated in a ‘leg or life’ situation.
Chris finished his treatment in January 2017 at Clatterbridge Hospital. However, the cancer devastatingly returned in July of the same year, but had now spread to his lungs.
YouTube: Chris Carberry
As well as having the limb removed, Chris had to also lose a third of his lung to take out the tumour.
With scans showing further tumours, his best chance of survival is now through alternative therapies that he will need to travel abroad for and cannot be funded on the NHS. The treatment is expected to cost more than £100,000.
Chris told JMU Journalism: “Fundraising is something I have always wanted to do. I have always wanted to help others and now I’ve got to help myself through the fundraisers, so I can have this treatment abroad and possibly save my life.
“There’s a big team around me that are all willing to help and I am very proud to be a part of it really. They are all fantastic.”
For his next big event, he plans to hand-cycle 100 miles from Clatterbridge Cancer Centre to Birmingham Royal Orthopedic Hospital. Chris has been treated at both facilities, so the fundraising is something that is close to his heart.
Chris has an active Go Fund Me page, which can be found here and he also blogs about his cancer journey and fundraising efforts.