Like Chris Hoy, I have terminal prostate cancer – but I'm still alive 10 years later

Kevin Webber to observe ‘cancerversary’ with foundation run

When Kevin Webber heard astir Sir Chris Hoy’s terminal crab diagnosis astatine the weekend, helium felt a acquainted pang of sadness. Like the six-time Olympian cycling champion, helium is besides surviving connected borrowed clip with signifier 4 prostate cancer.

Recalling the devastating terminal condemnation helium was handed aged 49, the father-of-three remembers: “It was conscionable doom and gloom. I was told I could person 2 years, possibly 3 oregon four. My urologist really said, ‘Don’t deliberation 10 [years]’.”

Hoy, who is 48, revealed connected Sunday that doctors had fixed him betwixt 2 and 4 years to unrecorded aft his prostate crab dispersed to his shoulder, hip, pelvis, ribs and spine.

The Scot has 2 young children Callum and Chloe, 10 and seven, with his woman Sarra, who successful an agonising treble stroke has incurable MS.

He aboriginal took to Instagram to accidental helium was “feeling fit, beardown and positive, and overwhelmed by each the emotion and enactment shown to my household and me”.

Kevin identifies with the Olympic golden medallist’s sentiments.

“It ever upsets maine erstwhile I perceive of different antheral and their families being destroyed by this indiscriminate murderer of a disease,” Kevin tells the Express. “When I heard astir Sir Chris, it made maine truthful bittersweet for a antheral and his household who already person their ain struggles and who person fixed truthful overmuch to the federation and inspired truthful many.”

Kevin Webber finishing the Ultra-X Jordan 155-mile contention successful 2019 (Image: Kevin Webber)

But positivity successful the look of adversity is thing the 2 men stock successful common. And should Hoy beryllium successful request of comfortableness oregon inspiration connected his lowest days, helium could bash worse than to perceive to Kevin’s story, due to the fact that connected November 6, the 59-year-old volition people his 10 twelvemonth “cancerversary”.

It’s an bonzer milestone by immoderate measure. But the elder banker, who is inactive working, not lone continues to defy aesculapian conventions by remaining live but by surviving a afloat beingness of enjoyment and adventure.

Since his diagnosis, helium has raised much than £1million for crab charities by completing challenging, often gruelling, fundraising expeditions from ultramarathons to upland climbs. He is the writer of Dead Man Running: One Man's Story Of Running To Stay Alive and successful 2020, helium was awarded a British Empire Medal successful the Queen's Birthday Honours for his services to radical with cancer.

Kevin’s cavalier cognition towards his cancer, refusing to fto it specify oregon cower his carpe diem attack to living, is wherefore helium wants Sir Chris to perceive his profound connection of enactment and hope. “I emotion the positivity helium has shown successful this rubbish concern and if I were to situation springiness him immoderate proposal it would beryllium to marque definite what helium does from present connected gives him a consciousness of intent and worthy whilst ne'er creating a caller regret.”

Kevin intends to observe his bonzer milestone with his astir poignant fundraising situation yet. On November 6, helium volition tally and locomotion from his location successful Epsom, Surrey, to the Royal Marsden Hospital and backmost 10 times successful 24 hours. He volition dedicate each thigh of the 80-mile region to a antithetic section of the “amazing” infirmary which has “kept maine alive” implicit the past decade.

“The archetypal thigh is for the cleaners due to the fact that I’ve been to the Royal Marsden 200 times and I’ve ne'er been sick oregon picked up thing that affected my immune system,” smiles Kevin. “I wanted to accidental convey you to the cleaners due to the fact that nary 1 ever does.”

His adjacent thigh volition beryllium for the receptionists, and truthful on…

Kevin Webber's fundraising tally volition rise funds for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity (Image: Kevin Webber)

Kevin, who ran the equivalent of the 155-mile Marathon des Sables crossed the borderline of the Sahara successful confederate Morocco during the pandemic by doing 2,600 laps of his backmost garden, came up with the thought six months ago.

He’ll tally and locomotion the 80 miles chiefly successful the acold and dark. He has ne'er surpassed 77 miles successful 1 24-hour play truthful it’s a immense challenge.

“When I ran 125 kilometres I wanted to tally further but I couldn’t and I was rather sick afterwards,” helium explains. “Now, I’m older and I’ll beryllium trying to tally further.”

He’ll extremity his last limb with his oncologist, Professor Chris Parker, by his side.

“I person truthful overmuch religion successful him and his ability, he’s ever made the close choices for me,” says Kevin. “He’s calm and non-emotional, and helium listens. He puts my caput astatine rest.”

Ten years ago, Professor Parker, past inactive a doctor, was the 2nd idiosyncratic Kevin saw aft receiving his devastating diagnosis.

“I saw him 30 minutes later. He told maine I was excessively young for modular attraction truthful helium wanted to effort thing that wasn’t the modular of attraction astatine the time,” says Kevin.

Dr Parker placed Kevin connected a chemotherapy cause from a objective proceedings with favourable but as-of-then-unpublished benefits.

It worked for 1 year. The crab specializer past enactment Kevin connected abiraterone, a hormone therapy offered to men with precocious prostate crab which indispensable beryllium taken with steroids.

“Professor Parker joked that possibly the steroids would bash maine good,” chuckles Kevin. “That’s the cause that’s lasted. It should past for a twelvemonth connected mean but I’m inactive present 8 and a fractional years later.”

Chris Hoy with 3 of his 7 Olympic medals astatine the GB homecoming parade successful London 2008 (Image: PA WIRE)

Kevin’s spot is arsenic astounding arsenic it is inspiring. Yet helium admits to struggling astatine the commencement of his crab journey.

“The archetypal fewer days I cried for myself reasoning it was truthful unfair,” helium admits. “And past I started crying due to the fact that of my household and children. My youngest was lone 9 and I thought he’ll commencement elder schoolhouse without a dad.”

Ollie, his youngest, is present 19. Kevin is besides dada to Ben, 24, and Hayley, 26 and Kevin adopted his optimistic mindset for his children and woman Sarah.

“I learned to halt dreaming erstwhile I archetypal got sick and I learned to deliberation successful abbreviated timescales,” helium explains. “Now I lone deliberation successful 3 oregon six period windows. I’m not reasoning astir what I’ll bash successful 2026. Of course, I privation to spot things but there’s contiguous first.”

As each twelvemonth passes, he’s ticked disconnected milestones successful his children’s lives helium ne'er erstwhile thought possible.

“I didn’t deliberation I would spot my girl decorativeness sixth signifier but I’ve seen her spell to assemblage and get a degree,” helium says. “She’s present a teacher, she’s got a boyfriend, has bought a location – each things I ne'er thought I would see. And she’s getting joined adjacent May.”

He attributes his continued longevity to the drugs he’s on, dissolving the testosterone that feeds prostate crab with a tummy injection each 3 months.

“One time those drugs volition halt moving – I’m conscionable fortunate that they inactive work,” helium admits.

But semipermanent runner Kevin is besides a large believer successful the healing powerfulness of running.

“When I was archetypal diagnosed, I wanted to tally a marathon portion doing chemotherapy and was told by a doc that I couldn’t and radical ‘like me’ shouldn’t bash that benignant of thing. Things person changed successful the past 10 years. Now helium would astir apt promote maine to proceed the exercise.”

Indeed, tiny aesculapian studies person proven carnal workout tin marque chemotherapy much effective.

Kevin Webber and Professor Chris Parker extracurricular the Oaks Cancer Centre – The Royal Marsden (Image: Kevin Webber)

Kevin besides avoids alcohol, dairy, and eats copious amounts of effect and vegetables. Each morning, helium swallows a concoction of Chinese herbs which helium likens to “drinking mud” and helium has regular acupuncture sessions.

“I can’t archer you if it makes immoderate quality oregon not but I’m inactive present and erstwhile you’ve outlived what radical person said you would unrecorded past you don’t truly privation to halt doing thing that you’re doing,” helium says.

His personage has grown implicit the years, which helium admits tin beryllium hard astatine times successful his relationships with different crab patients.

One twelvemonth helium gave an inspirational code astatine the National Running Show successful Birmingham. Afterwards, a antheral approached him saying helium had driven down from Leeds to talk to Kevin to larn the secrets of his extended life.

“It was similar I was immoderate benignant of guru. I said, ‘I don’t person immoderate magic’. He was spending each his clip speechmaking and investigating things – which determination is thing incorrect with – but it was astatine the disbursal of enjoying life. He died 18 months aboriginal and I was bittersweet for him, not lone due to the fact that helium had died but due to the fact that I felt helium had wasted his clip chasing a unicorn that doesn’t exist.”

This is wherefore Kevin believes Sir Chris Hoy has the close intelligence cognition to his cancer.

“It’s truly important you bash thing that works for you and I don’t mean what cures you but makes you deliberation you’re doing something,” helium stresses.

He is approaching his milestone “cancerversary” with a substance of emotions, some blessed and sad.

“I person survivor’s guilt sometimes,” helium admits. I knew 1 feline who was diagnosed astatine 44 and whose kids were younger than excavation astatine the time. Whenever I’ve seen his woman since, I can’t assistance but deliberation successful my caput if she wonders: How travel you’re here? My partner’s not. So I decidedly person survivor’s guilt but I besides person a work not to discarded my beingness arsenic I’m definite the radical who are nary longer present would springiness thing for an other six months. If I discarded time, that’s being disingenuous to them.”

With the clip helium has left, helium wants to “influence radical with immoderate situation they’re facing successful their life”, not conscionable health-related ones.

And erstwhile helium has completed this challenge, he’ll beryllium focused connected his adjacent 1 – The Ice Ultra, a five-day 230km arctic ultra marathon successful the Swedish Lapland. Kevin volition tally successful -40C temperatures for Prostate Cancer UK from February 18-20.

The 3rd time volition coincide with his 60th birthday, different milestone helium ne'er expected to reach. “One of my friends said, ‘Don’t you privation a party?’ I said, ‘What bash I privation a enactment for? I privation to beryllium retired successful the freezing acold and pushing myself to beryllium alive.’” You can’t reason with that.

• To donate to Kevin Webber’s Royal Marsden Cancer Charity run, sojourn https://www.justgiving.com/page/kevin-webber-ten-years