A PAIR of sisters whose father has cancer are to take part in a night-time charity walk.
Amy Goble and Clare Cade will join hundreds of other walkers to light up Brighton and Hove in Cancer Research UK’s Shine Night Walk event on Friday, August 19.
Amy, from Worthing, and her sister Clare, from Stevenage, will take on the 10k challenge, inspired by their father Dave Bryant, who is currently in treatment for bowel cancer.
The pair’s father was diagnosed in April last year.
Amy, who runs bespoke wedding invitation business The Amyverse, said: “He’s someone we really, really love and care about and we felt helpless.
“We can’t take the cancer away but when we found out about Shine, we felt we could take back a little bit of control by doing something proactive which would help other people, supporting the research and help people get through Cancer Research UK.
“Clare and I aren’t athletic so doing any kind of run was out of the question. But a night-time walk through Brighton that we can do at our own pace while enjoying the atmosphere, seemed pretty good.”
Participants in the Shine Night Walk are encouraged to wear fairy lights, glow sticks and luminous clothes or face paints during the event, as a symbol of bringing light to the dark days of cancer.
To help them prepare, Amy, 30 and Clare, 28, have enlisted their four-legged friends for extra-long “walkies”. Amy has been accompanied by her cockapoo Deefa and Clare with her terriers Freddie and Riley.
Dave, 61, had radiotherapy and chemotherapy last year. By Christmas, things were looking positive and Dave moved to three-monthly reviews. But at the first review, he was told the cancer was coming back.
“They found cancer in his liver, so he had to have more intensive chemo, starting immediately,” Amy said.
He had to remain in hospital for five weeks and then caught a blood infection, which kept him there even longer.
Doctors have had to temporarily stop the cancer treatment while he takes anti-biotics for the infection.
Clare said taking part in the event is “my way of giving back and showing my dad how much I love him”.
“We’re grateful to have more precious time with Dad, so we want to do what we can to help create better treatments.
“We hope that sharing our family’s story will help inspire people to sign up for Shine. There really is no better motivation than knowing you’re helping to save lives. Everyone can take part at their own pace, it doesn’t matter if that’s a leisurely stroll, a lively stride or a full-on power walk. The most important thing is raising money.”
Amy and Clare have raised £1,400 so far.
Entry to the event is still open, with Brighton the first of 19 locations across the UK hosting a Shine Night Walk in 2022.
Until midnight on August 17, participants can get 30 per cent off the entry fee by using the code SNWBRI30.
The Shine Night Walk starts and finishes at Hove Lawns, with participants setting off in waves from 7.45pm.
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