Six friends and family members will walk from Hessle to Cumbria in support of Jon Metcalfe, 46, who is campaigning to lower the bowel cancer screening age after his terminal diagnosis.
Five men will take on a 158 mile walk to raise funds for Bowel Cancer UK, starting in Hessle.(Image: Pete Bloor)
When Jon Metcalfe was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer at the age of 46, his family were desperate to do something to help.
Pub landlord Jon experienced no symptoms until he started experiencing stomach pain. His doctor sent him straight to hospital with suspected appendicitis.
But tests discovered something more sinister. A tumour in Jon’s bowel was causing a blockage, which was the root of his pain. He had surgery the following day and was given the devastating news that he had cancer. Later tests revealed it had spread to his liver and lymph nodes.
Jon believes the NHS Bowel Cancer screening age should be lowered from 50 to 45. “If people were screened at 45, this wouldn’t be happening to me now,” Jon said.
“This is the problem with right sided bowel cancer. There are no symptoms until it causes a blockage like it did with me.
“It’s gathering pace – since the 90s the increase of bowel cancer under 50s has risen by 50%. I have terminal cancer at 46. It’s tough as far as prognosis is concerned, I was given a 70% chance of living 5 years. I didn’t know if I would see Christmas or not.”
Jon’s Hull-based family have rallied to do something to help. On Saturday, July 18, six of his family and friends will embark on what they are calling “The Walk of all Walks”, a 158-mile route leaving Hessle and arriving six days later at Jon’s pub, The Butchers Arms in Crosby Ravensworth near Penrith.
Hessle-born cousins of Jon, Pete Bloor, 51, and Nick Bloor, 38, will be joined by Marc Hartley, 39, Thomas O’Brian, 41, Lee Hall, 48, and Mark Hogben, 63. Nick and Pete’s dad Barry Bloor will be on support duty, following the lads in a campervan. They will leave from Hessle Square and pass through Wetherby, Ilkley, Buckden, and Ravenstondale.
“We’ll be discovering stuff about ourselves,” Nick said. “We are the unlikely lads, we are not the typical fitness freaks. We are all family men and have young children to look after and full time jobs to juggle. But we are all of the typical ages that you will want to be looking for bowel cancer.”
“For me I think everyone knows someone who’s been through cancer. It might not help Jon himself but if it helps someone else, just one person, then it’s worth it. I think for me it’s very daunting to do it, it’s sinking in. We’ve done practice walks and the pain of walking the next day is horrendous. To do that consecutively will be hard work, but it’s nothing compared to what people like Jon are going through. It will be worth it.”
“It’s going to be a lot on the body – we are not young men anymore. There will be camping in there, probably three days. We hope he’s got a bath!”
The group will finish their trek at The Butchers Arms, where Jon, who was treated at Cumberland Infirmary will be waiting for them with a cold pint, and will throw them a welcome party that will serve as a fundraiser for Bowel Cancer UK and Cancer Research UK.
Pete said: “We all know somebody that’s suffered with cancer but when it’s a family member it really hits home. And he’s younger than me and that should never happen. It’s really difficult. The first walk we did was to Elloughton and we realised quickly it wasn’t going to be an easy feat. You could see our souls falling from us saying what have we done!”
And while Jon thinks his family are pretty crazy for what they are attempting, he is grateful for the support and is pouring his efforts into arranging the welcome party to greet the six walkers.
“I can’t just say well done, here’s a pint,” he said. “So I’m throwing a welcome party. There was going to be a raffle; I started it off with a £500 voucher for the pub. The prizes are unbelievable to the point where we are doing an auction instead of a raffle. I’ve had to move it to the local village hall because the pub’s not big enough to take it. I think they are absolutely bonkers and fair play to them. I said I’d walk the last leg with them from Ravenstondale to the pub but unfortunately I won’t have the energy.”
Up for grabs is also a three-day west coast of Scotland sailing trip, a five-bed chalet in the French alps for a week, and a year’s supply of coffee. The group’s Go Fund Me page has raised £2,500 and the total continues to climb. “We are asking people to donate when times are hard and it blows your mind that people are putting so much money in,” Nick said. “It’s unbelievable that people are doing that for us.”
Pete added: “We are appealing for all sorts of donations from anyone who can let us borrow a field for a night to camp in or kip on the floor somewhere. There are other ways that they can help us out to keep the cost down. Anything that would help us lessen to pain!”
If you would like to offer support to the team on The Walk of all Walks, contact Nick at: nicholas.bloor@icloud.com or donate to the Go Fund Me page here. You can follow their progress on Youtube.
The welcome party will take place on the afternoon of July 24 at The Butchers Arms in Crosby Ravensworth and anyone is welcome to attend.
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