Malin Bridge man to walk 160 miles from Sheffield to London to help cure blood cancer

A SENIOR biomedical scientist from Malin Bridge in Sheffield, will be walking the 160-mile distance to London next month, in just four days, to raise money for blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan.

September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month and Mike Smith will be joining forces with people across the country, to take on Anthony Nolan’s Walking Together challenge, to raise vital funds to help save the lives of people with blood cancer.

On Saturday September 14, Mike will set off on a four-day walk, from his hometown of Sheffield to the Anthony Nolan head office in London, walking between 35 and 40 miles a day.

Mike said: “My dad died from a rare form of cancer in 2007 and, after he died, I learnt more about the work that Anthony Nolan does, and became determined to do something good in his memory. It’s expensive to get people on the register, which is why I now want to raise £1,000.”

Mike also has another reason for his close connection to Anthony Nolan. In 2010 he joined the Anthony Nolan stem cell register and five years later received a phone call to say that he had been found as a match for someone in desperate need of a stem cell transplant.

Mike said: “All I knew was that she was a nine-year-old girl with blood cancer, and that I could help.

“I actually donated at The Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield where I was currently working. It was like donating blood and was a lot easier than I expected. Afterwards I felt normal, no side effects. It’s incredible that one day of your time could give somebody an entire lifetime.

“Anthony Nolan do incredible work, giving people a second chance at life. My dad never got that second chance, so I felt obligated to give everyone else the second chance he could never have.”

Mike will be walking the 160-mile distance with his good friend Scott. The pair will walk up to 42 miles a day, with just a backpack containing their belongings.

Mike said: “I decided to do such a long walk as I wanted it to be quite a challenge.

“For training I’ve just been staying active, I don’t want to practice by doing a big walk, as I think that might put me off doing the whole thing!”

Anthony Nolan is the charity that finds matching donors for people with blood cancer who need a stem cell transplant – and gives them a second chance of life.

They also carry out ground-breaking research to save more lives and provide information and support to patients after a stem cell transplant, through its clinical nurse specialists and psychologists, who help guide patients through their recovery.

Anna Scalera, Head of Community and Events at Anthony Nolan, said: “We are delighted that Mike is taking part in Walking Together this month, saving lives with every step he takes. For anyone wanting to get involved, organising your own walk couldn’t be easier and the funds raised will enable us to recruit potential stem cell donors to the Anthony Nolan register – any one of whom could give a second chance of life to someone with blood cancer.”

Top fundraisers will appear on a leader board on the Walking Together web page and those who raise over £200 before the start of September will be entered into a free prize draw, where they will be in with a chance of winning a goody bag.

You can sponsor Mike at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sheffield2london and follow his journey on social media using #stepsforstemcells Find out more about Walking Together for Anthony Nolan by visiting https://www.anthonynolan.org/walking-together