My Story

Michael was diagnosed with kidney cancer before he turned 40, a shock that turned our lives upside down. Despite his brave fight, we lost him, leaving our five children—Aisling, Dougie, Niamh, Beanie, and Patrick—without a father and with a looming uncertainty: do they carry a hereditary gene?

Kidney cancer is now the seventh most common cancer in the UK, accounting for three percent of all new cancer cases. Despite this, there is no national screening program for families like ours, where the risk of hereditary kidney cancer looms large. 

In some countries, like Sweden, there are targeted screening programmes for individuals at high risk of kidney cancer, particularly those with a family history of the disease or hereditary conditions. These individuals receive regular imaging tests such as ultrasounds or MRI scans to detect any early signs of cancer. In the United States, they offer genetic counseling and personalised surveillance plans for those with a higher genetic risk. However, in the UK, only those with rare inherited syndromes who might receive regular screening with ultrasounds or MRI scans.

This gap in screening and early detection is what drives me. I am running the TCS London Marathon on April 27th, 2025, to raise awareness and funds for kidney research. My hope is to advocate for a screening program in the UK that could help families like mine. To prepare, I will be participating in the Richmond Half Marathon on August 11th (COMPLETE) and the TCS Amsterdam Marathon on October 20th, with other races to be added along the way.

Last year, I completed the Maratón Valencia as well as TCS London Marathon, several half marathons, and even overcame my fear of heights and falling to complete a four-day Inca Trail hike to Machu Picchu. This year, I run with a renewed sense of purpose, for my children and for countless other families living with the fear of hereditary kidney cancer.