Cancer sufferer from Northallerton plans charity walk (From Darlington and Stockton Times)

Cancer sufferer from Northallerton plans charity walk

4:06pm Monday 10th November 2008

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A CANCER sufferer is to take on the 190 mile Coast to Coast walk to raise funds for a hospital.

Tom Buckley, 23, formerly of Romanby, close to Northallerton, in North Yorkshire, suffers from terminal bone cancer and has less than a year to live.

He is to do the walk to raise £15,000 for the Young Oncology unit of the Christie Hospital, in Manchester, were he was treated.

His trek will take him from St Bees Head, in Cumbria, to Robin Hood’s Bay, in North Yorkshire.

The walk will take Mr Buckley across the Lake District, the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors.

He said: "I’ve always been quite sporty and I also wanted to do something that I could focus on and raise money for the hospital.

"I consider North Yorkshire to be my home and I hope a few of my friends from there will do a few days with me.

"I think it can be done in 12 days but due to the time of year and also my health I’m looking at 18 days.

"I have it all planned out and just want to get started. I’ll set off at 9am each day and hopefully I’ll finish about 3pm.

"The Lake District should be a tough one but hopefully it will balance out across the walk.

"I’ve been walking round the local parks as a form of training and I hope to have a ten mile walk done before I set off."

Mr Buckley, of Northwich, in Cheshire since 2004, suffered from an eye cancer when he was a baby but got over that.

He then enjoyed 19-years of healthy living before doctors diagnosed he had the bone cancer.

The cancer kept coming back until doctors at the Christie Hospital decided they could do no more.

To provide support on the walk his family in the shape of dad Gordon, mother Donna and sister Jennifer will all do some of it with him.

So far Mr Buckley has raised around £12,000 for his appeal and donations can be made at www.justgiving.com/thebuckers.

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