Meet Des

Des has never been ill, until the staff Christmas dinner in 2021, where he unfortunately caught Covid.

Every morning, Des used to wake up with a headache, and his blood pressure was frequently in the region of 250:100. His posture had changed, as he seemed to be leaning more towards his left. He was putting his T-shirt on back-to-front, and struggling to put the right foot in the right leg of his pyjamas!

In January 2023, Des ran in his local parkrun, but halfway through, someone in front turned and asked "Are you OK mate?". Des' left foot seemed to be scuffing along the ground much more than normal.

Following this, Des' GP recommended an urgent MRI head scan. He believed he had MS, and began to worry. The medical professionalis discovered that Des had a lesion on his brain and a 3.5cm lesion growing out of his left kidney, and so he was rushed to A&E. He was met by a kidney consultant, who believed that the brain lesion was likely a result of the kidney lesion.

When his first immunotherapy/ anti-cancer treatment started mid-May 2023, Des promised himself that he would try to walk 1 mile a day, with an end target of 100 miles overall. In Des' case, nature is a good healer. The time spent being active outdoors put a smile on Des' face during very difficult and uncertain times, as it gave him a greater sense of wellbeing. Des believes that going on regular walks and runs has saved his life, as they kept him active and gave him a purpose during illness.

Des has now run over 270 times at the Conkers parkrun, with around 100 of those being after a stage 4 cancer diagnosis.

Now a retired Professor at Warwick University, Des continues to write books about inclusion, disability, well-being and nature. He believes he could not have got to this stage without exercise, nature, a great family and the NHS!