A dad who feared he might never meet his son after receiving a life-threatening cancer diagnosis is taking on the Manchester Marathon to support the hospital that saved his life.
Man United fan Zac Hinchcliffe, 33, found out he had a cancerous tumour between his lungs and heart in September 2022 when his wife, Danni, was four months pregnant.
The father-to-be began chemotherapy to treat the mediastinal seminoma at Manchester’s Christie Trust that autumn – reducing the tumour in size significantly.
And the day after his penultimate chemotherapy session, Zac and Danni welcomed their son Fenn into the world on December 3, 2022.
Now, Zac is doing his bit to replay the Christie by tackling the 26-mile Manchester Marathon later this month.
Recalling the day his son was born, Zac said: “It was a moment I’ll cherish forever, and I owe it to the incredible care and expertise I received.
“Thanks to the Christie, I was able to make a full recovery, and I’m now back to running regularly.”
Danni – who also raised money for The Christie in the Tatton Park Half Marathon last November – will be supporting Zac with their son, now aged two, at the April 27 marathon.
Ecologist Zac, from Warrington, added: “I have always wanted to do a marathon since I was a kid and despite becoming fully engrossed in running during lockdown, I never managed to bring myself to do a marathon.
“Once I learnt that I’d been running all those kilometres during lockdown with a large tumour in my chest right next to my lungs and not realising, it made me think about how many people might have cancer right now and not realise, and who might not be as lucky as me to get the treatment I needed when I needed it.”
Lindsey Farthing, mass participation events manager at The Christie Charity, said: “Zac’s journey is a powerful reminder of the life-changing work The Christie does every day.
“His determination to take on the Manchester Marathon after all he’s been through speaks volumes about his gratitude and resilience.
“We’re honoured to support him and wish him every success.”
Zac is fundraising via a Just Giving page, with all proceeds going to the Christie Charity.
Join the discussion