Jeff makes great strides

A York cancer patient recovering from radical surgery is taking on a tough physical challenge to thank the experts who helped him combat the disease.

Jeff Coulson was diagnosed with bladder cancer after finding blood in his urine, sparking a whirlwind eight weeks that saw him undergoing lifesaving – and life-changing – surgery.

Within two months Jeff, of Upper Poppleton, had had his bladder removed and replaced with a new organ created from a section of his intestine.

He’d had shocking news, but the op had left him ostensibly cancer-free and on the road to recovery as he learned to live with his new bladder.

He must follow a strict regime and have regular checks for five years to ensure the cancer did not return, but his prognosis was positive. “It was good news for me,” said Jeff, 70.

Jeff and his wife Pat, a former compliance officer at York University, were helped through her old colleagues in the Biology department.

The Jack Birch Unit conducts pioneering research into bladder cancer and Professor Jenny Southgate, who heads the unit, put the Coulsons in touch with someone who had had ‘neo-bladder’ surgery.

The meeting helped them decide it was the best option for Jeff to recover his former active life as a long-distance walker – and by chance Mr Nick Smith, the surgeon who carried out his remarkable operation, was a former research student at the JBU.

To thank the scientists for their support, the Coulsons are joining them on a walking challenge to raise cash for York Against Cancer, which helps fund the JBU’s work.

They are recruiting daughter Kate Metcalfe (who, until very recently, hadn’t done any hill walking since her teenage years) and friends through their walking group, LDWA -The Irregulars, to take on the tough Hambleton Hobble, a 30-mile route over the North York Moors, on June 30.

For Jeff, it will be an intensely personal challenge – the former competitive fell runner is hoping to join the walk to mark his return to health. He was able to return to walking by the end of March, and says: "I am hoping to join the Hambleton Hobble with the group in June.”

If you’d like to support the event, Kate has a JustGiving page,  https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/santander-york, and the unit has one at www.justgiving.com/fundraising/jbu-hambleton-hobble.

We wish the walkers a successful day, and Jeff all the best for the future.