Sue Harris’ heroic Hampstead Heath walk raises funds for rare cancer research
‘It was a huge struggle but I was determined to do it, even if I had to be carried over the line’
Published: 19th May, 2011
by TOM FOOT
SHE was found to be suffering from one of the rarest and most aggressive forms of cancer – but the shock diagnosis has brought out the best in Sue Harris.
Dressed in a striking 1970s outfit, wig, and a large CND pendant necklace, the 54-year-old, who lives in West Hampstead, raised £1,600 after completing a three-mile sponsored walk across Hampstead Heath.
The marketing consultant has been forced to give up work after she was diagnosed in February with high-grade Leiomyosarcoma – which experts say affects four in every one million cancer patients – and is undergoing energy-sapping chemotherapy treatment.
Ms Harris said: “When I heard that heart-stopping phrase ‘I’m sorry but you have cancer’, it really did change my life and priorities. Chemotherapy knocks out a lot of the good cells in your body as well as the bad ones, making you so much more vulnerable to illness and infection.
“Generally, energy levels are severely depleted, tiredness and fatigue become the norm, and other ‘delights’ like nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea and headaches become daily occurrences.
“The brain also seems to stop functioning in its usual manner.
“I find I get easily confused, forget where I am or what I’m doing, and lose track of my surroundings.
“For someone who’s always relied on a quick brain and quick thinking, I’m finding that most distressing.
“As you can imagine, tackling a walk of any distance was quite an undertaking – but I was determined to do it, even if I had to be carried over the finish line.”
She added: “I deal with each day as it comes and always look for the good things in life. Simple things like birds feeding in my garden, meeting friends, sunshine through the clouds or rain when the budding flowers need it are all things that keep me positive.
“Helping others also helps. If my story helps to make a difference to someone else then I feel that there is a purpose behind me having this disease.”
Leiomyosarcoma cancer attacks the soft tissue in the body – fat, muscle, and blood vessels. In Ms Harris’s case, it has developed in the uterus. She was diagnosed after she went for a hysterectomy that aimed to get rid of a troublesome fibroid.
There is no cure, few doctors know how to treat it and it attracts little research.
Only a handful of NHS hospitals have special “sarcoma” treatment centres and Ms Harris has undergone treatment at the Royal Marsden.
She took part in the charity’s Hampstead Heath Woodland Walk last Sunday in aid of the Macmillan cancer charity.
Callum Mackay, Macmillan’s north London fundraising manager, said: “Sue has done a fantastic job at raising money from this event and considering she is in the process of undergoing treatment, she did a fantastic job of completing the walk.
“The fact that she embraced the day and came in costume with her group added fun to the day for all of us.”
All the money raised through Miles for Macmillan will help the charity provide medical, financial, practical and emotional support to the two million people living with cancer in the UK.
A Macmillan “Mad Hatters Walk” is planned in central London on June 5. For more information contact 020 8563 9699.