Wigan dad-of-three kept running despite shock cancer diagnosis

Tom Mann is supporting the ‘Re-Write Cancer’ campaign – a £20m joint fund-raising appeal from Cancer Research UK, The Christie Charitable fund.

Retired driving instructor and keep fit enthusiast Tom broke his collarbone and ribs when he suffered a fall from his bike in 2014.

Despite recovering from the initial injuries, Tom developed a chest infection and began to cough up blood.

Following an x-ray which found a shadow on his lungs, he was sent to a specialist and was gobsmacked to be told there was nothing wrong with his lungs, but he had bowel cancer.

Tom, who lives in Ashton, had keyhole surgery followed by six months of chemotherapy.

Unfortunately, Tom developed a pulmonary embolism which blocked both of his lungs and needed regular injections for six months to prevent blood clots.

The 67-year-old faced a further blow when a scan found the cancer had spread to his left lung. Tom had a section of his lung removed at Wythenshawe Hospital in Manchester, but made a speedy recovery and carried on with his passion of running.

During the hot summer of 2018 he started to suffer breathlessness which was initially thought to be asthma. But a further investigation found a tumour had developed in his airway and was causing a huge blockage affecting his breathing.

Tom was once again admitted to Wythenshawe Hospital and had “debulking” which involved removing as much of the tumour as possible.

He also visited The Christie in Manchester for three sessions of brachytherapy treatment.

Brachytherapy uses specialised equipment to put one or more small radioactive metal pellets or seeds inside the body close to the cancer. The metal then gives a dose of radiotherapy to the cancer.

Last year a small mass of tissue called a nodule was found on his left lung. Most of these are harmless but some can be cancerous and require treatment. So, unless it grows further, Tom just needs regular check-ups.

Amazingly, throughout all of the gruelling treatment over the last three years, Tom has never stopped running and even joined the Wigan Harriers, winning Athlete of the Year award.

Providing he is given the go ahead at the end of February, Tom plans to run in the London Marathon in April.

Tom, who is married to Janet, said: “It was such an enormous shock when I was told I had bowel cancer as I felt so fit and well. Without falling off my bike, I wouldn’t have been diagnosed so quickly as I had no symptoms.

“Running has kept me mentally and physically fit throughout all of the treatment. Each time I’ve needed surgery, I was only in hospital for a couple of days because of my fitness level whereas a lot of people my age were on the same ward for weeks recovering.

“I’ve had excellent treatment and feel fortunate to be getting on with my life. Plans for the new research building in Manchester sound exciting. And it’s great news that such a world-class facility will be built on my doorstep in the North West.”

The Re-Write Cancer campaign aims to help meet the cost of a new £150m cancer research facility.

The new building, which will adjoin The Christie in south Manchester, will bring together the largest concentration of scientists, doctors and nurses in Europe to collaborate and accelerate progress for cancer patients.

Uniting three powerhouses of innovation - Cancer Research UK - The Christie and The University of Manchester - the flagship project will enable Manchester to lead the world in recruiting patients to clinical trials within a decade, resulting in more patients receiving new cancer treatments leading to improved outcomes and survival.

Clinical trials are vital to find out if new treatments are safe and better than current treatments.

Cancer cases in Greater Manchester are significantly higher than anywhere else in the UK – every day 18 people die from the disease in Greater Manchester. This amounts to 6,500 people a year – making the death toll around 10 per cent higher than the UK average.

In Wigan around 1,900 people are diagnosed with cancer each year. There are around 830 cancer deaths in Wigan each year.

The campaign will deliver the remaining funding commitment of £20m needed for the new building, which is expected to open in early 2022.

For more information on the “Re-Write Cancer” fundraising campaign visit: cruk.org/rewrite