Dad battling two cancers walks 10k to thank The Christie

Dad-of-two Jason Wilcox wants to thank The Christie for all their care and treatment.

The 46-year-old will be joining the Walk of Hope on Saturday, September 17, wife Jen and children Ella, 12, and Harry, nine, Families, friends and individuals will team up to support the hospital.

Lantern decorating, face painting and live music will entertain walkers before they set off.

Jason,was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in December 2019 after a tennis ball sized lump appeared on his neck.

As he was being treated for that, a routine PET scan in May 2022 found a rare neuroendocrine tumour.

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Following treatment at The Christie, the Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma is now in remission, but treatment for the neuroendocrine tumour is continuing.

Jason Wilcox wants to thank staff at The Christie for all their treatment and care

Jason started chemotherapy but when that didn’t work he was referred to The Christie in January 2021 for a highly specialist treatment called CAR-T therapy.

This removing immune cells called T-cells through a sample of the patient's blood.

They are then reprogrammed in a laboratory to create cells that are genetically coded to recognise and destroy the patient's cancer cells. Jason was an inpatient at The Christie for five weeks during this treatment.

In September 2021, he joined a clinical trial for the drug epcoritamab.

Jason is currently waiting for a stem cell transplant.

This was delayed when he picked up a continuous cough after having Covid in July and doctors are currently investigating this before the stem cell transplant can go ahead.

Since July 2022, Jason has also been having hormone therapy injections to hopefully prevent his neuroendocrine tumour from getting bigger or spreading.

The plan is to have this tumour surgically removed once he has recovered from the stem cell transplant.

Jason said: “I have always felt like the staff all really care about me. “Everyone is friendly and approachable, during the good times and bad. “It is good to know that I’m in the best place with all the resources under the same roof.

“The doctors and nurses are some of the best in the world and I couldn’t ask for more.”

Wife Jen, 46, said: “Jason has spent the last 20 months receiving the very best care and support from The Christie.

“His team have been a tremendous support and we have felt so well looked after.

“The overwhelming feeling you get is they care and they want to do their best for every single patient.

“Unless you have seen that up close you don’t realise how much The Christie does for people with cancer and how much they rely on the fundraising.

“We like to get out and about as much as possible as a family and have a dog who keeps us active, however, Jason isn’t able to walk as far as he used to due to all the treatment he’s had.

“After everything that has been done for us, we wanted to do something as a family to support The Christie and The Walk of Hope seemed like an ideal opportunity.

“It’s family-friendly and sounds like it’ll be a wonderful evening whilst raising money for a very worthy cause.

“It’s unlikely that Jason will be able to complete the walk, however, he will be there to cheer us on.”

Abbie Wicks, sporting events officer from The Christie charity said: “We are very grateful to Jason, Jen, Ella and Harry for signing up to the Walk of Hope this year and for the fundraising they have already done to support our cancer patients.

“The Walk of Hope is one of our most emotional and inspirational events each year with so many people walking in memory, in support or in hope.

“Before the walk begins, we have lantern decorating, face painting and live entertainment.

“This is followed by a peaceful dove release to start the walk. After taking in the stunning scenery of Tatton Park, the evening will finish with a chorus of live music.”

To sign up for the Walk of Hope visit christie.nhs.uk/the-christie-charity/get-involved/fundraise/events/events-calendar/walk-of-hope