An east Hull man has just spent 12 hours playing darts, non-stop, for a cause that helped him back on the road to health.
Liam Lovelock, 28, embarked on his darts marathon at The Ravenser pub, in Southcoates Lane, last Saturday (May 17), with the aim of raising funds for, and awareness of, the Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT). Liam raised £400 from the midday to midnight event and his JustGiving appeal page is still open for donations.
In 2023, Liam was diagnosed with stage four Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, and was treated in the TCT’s unit at Castle Hill Hospital. The facilities there are designed for young people aged 16 to 24 and the specialist staff ensure patients are “treated as a young person first, cancer patient second”.
While Liam was older than the age group they usually treat, he explained that if the unit does not have a lot of people using it at the time, they can extend the age group.
Liam said: “I went there after I was first diagnosed. I’ve seen the work they do and the effects they have.
“They are such a small team but they just make you feel at ease, even though you’re going through the worst thing you will ever go through. They helped such a lot with everything and especially mentally as well.”
Liam first started with symptoms during the first lockdown but struggled to get a doctor’s appointment at first and “just left it”. “I had a cough and really bad night sweats and my skin was really itchy to the point there was bleeding.
“I had really bad backache as well and was falling asleep randomly during the day. I was working as a carer for a lad at his home, so that was no good at all.”
Liam said when he did go the doctor at the insistence of his sister, it was “weird” hearing the GP talking about lymphoma and tests and scans later confirmed it was stage four Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer that affects a type of white blood cell in the body. “I had a scan half way through my first round of chemotherapy and it was looking quite promising,” he said.
“But I’d relapsed three months later. I felt really positive going into my December appointment but I found out three days before Christmas that it hadn’t worked.”
More chemotherapy was to follow and Liam had his stem cells harvested in Leeds and awaited a “pod” being available at Castle Hill. “The six days of chemo I had before they put my stem cells back were the worst thing I have ever experienced.
“I felt so sick all the time, and really weak. I even struggled to do up the buttons on my T-shirt. I was in hospital for about three weeks.”
Now in remission, Liam said he wanted to “give something back to the people who saved my life” which is why he came up with the darts marathon. “I wanted to do it for the Teenage Cancer Trust because it’s such a good cause.
“I had support from other people playing alongside me. I only had a break for the toilet and other people were going to get me drinks and I’d be eating while I was playing.
“I was in bed the whole of the next day, it really took it out of me.” Liam said his family, especially his sister – “she’s had cancer as well but she’s okay now and in remission” – and all his mates had been “brilliant” in supporting him during his cancer journey.
“I think I’d like to do something each year, maybe something different each time, for the Teenage Cancer Trust, but I’m not sure what yet. I’m still getting tired and not been able to go back to work yet but I am getting there slowly.”
The Teenage Cancer Trust is dedicated to improving the quality of life and chances of survival for young cancer patients. The charity funds and builds specialist units in NHS hospitals and provides dedicated staff, bringing young people together so they can be treated by teenage cancer experts in the best place for them.
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