rivers2cross

Chapter 3 in The Record features Olympic gold medal legend Christine Ohuruogu. We met back in 2018 at the Mile End Stadium in East London. This turned to be without doubt the coldest day for any of the book meetings, so do not be deceived by my appearance in a t-shirt. I had just launched the Stop Bowel Cancer T-Shirts, so I took the opportunity to get a photo with Christine.

Christine was enthusiastic throughout our meeting. She has a infectious laugh and great sense of humour. She spoke about her career, which among its many achievements included winning medals at three consecutive Olympics. She is one of only two athletes to achieve this. Her first record is a belter, and was actually a cassette single.

Not long after our meeting Christine announced her retirement from athletics, and she has recently completed a law degree. It was a wonderful experience for me, and a fantastic chapter for the book.

The Record was written in memory of my mum who died of bowel cancer in August 2016. All profits are donated to Bowel Cancer UK, and over £870 has been raised to date. I am hoping to reach £1000 during 2020. Click here to see all the ways to order a copy of the book.

Bowel cancer claims 16,000 lives in the UK, and is the second biggest cancer killer. However if caught early at stage 1 it is very treatable, and the five year survival rate is over 90%. When detected at the late stage 4 the five year survival rate drops dramatically to 7%. This shows how crucial early diagnosis is to getting a better outcome. Knowing the symptoms is so important.