"I have to see both our children and my parents through a closed window. Its heart-breaking, but wed rather make this sacrifice now so hopefully we can be together for years to come."
Will Green
A dad with a rare cancer who must isolate from his children is keeping his spirits up by running up to 4 miles a day – from the safety of his home.
Will Green, 29, is receiving chemotherapy for Hodgkins Lymphoma and cannot even open a window as exposure to fungal bacteria in the air could prove fatal.
But the married-dad-of-three is battling his illness on the treadmill – raising over £25,000 for charity and enlisting support around the world.
Will, a director at Shortland Horne estate agency in Coventry, said: “I can only see some family through a closed window and it’s hard. This is my way keeping active and positive for the sake of my children.”
Will found a lump on his groin in July and paid a visit to the doctors. After tests and scans, he was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma, a type of a type of blood cancer that affects white blood cells called lymphocytes.
It is an aggressive cancer and can quickly spread through the body. Doctors found lumps in both his pelvis and groin and said the former could have been there for around five years based on its size.
Will said: “I didn’t have any symptoms other than feeling tired, which I put down to having children and running my own business.
“A week after I first noticed the lump, I decided to get it checked out. I had no idea about the second lump, though it was over 2 cm in size.
“It came as a terrible shock, just after my birthday. I kept thinking I was going to die and was throwing up for days after because of the anxiety.”
But a PET scan showed the cancer was caught at a relatively early stage and Will has been given an 85 per cent chance of survival.
Will said: “I decided I wanted to give it the best shot I could for the sake of my family.”
Despite intensive chemotherapy, Will wants to show it is possible to have good days and take on challenges.
He said: “I’ve ran every day and sometimes up to four miles. Of course, some days are better than others, but it’s good to have a target.”
Will’s one-year-old daughter and wife, Laura, are living with him. But his two girls, aged 10 and seven, have had to stay with relatives since they went back to school.
Will said: “My immune system is so low that even a common cold could be dangerous. Sadly, it means our school-age children can’t stay in the house, cuddle or come near me.
“I have to see both our children and my parents through a closed window. It’s heart-breaking, but we’d rather make this sacrifice now so hopefully we can be together for years to come.”
Will, from Baginton, Coventry, is fundraising for Cancer Research UK. He has been joined by other members of the Roundtable around the world, which is the largest voluntary organisation for young men in the world.
Members from Armenia to Malaysia have been walking with Will every day as a show of solidarity.
· Donations to Will’s fundraiser can be made via justgiving.com/fundraising/will-green91 Read more at #walkwithwill
