Student to run marathon after finishing chemotherapy

A student from Loughborough University who was diagnosed with cancer last year is preparing to run the London Marathon to give back to the charity that helped him.

Charlie Livingstone-Wyre was told in spring 2025 that he had Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

The NHS describes the cancer as one that develops in the lymphatic system, a network of vessels and glands spread throughout your body.

The 21-year-old told the BBC he signed up to take part in the marathon when he was undergoing treatment.

Charlie said in January 2025 he started to feel nauseous and sick and later noticed a swelling in his neck.

Doctors suspected an infection and sent him home with antibiotics, but a week later there was no change in his condition and he was admitted to hospital for further tests before being diagnosed in April 2025.

"The nurse checked it was OK to give me bad news over the phone - then told me I had cancer," he said.

"She was as gentle as possible in the way she broke the news, and nobody ever wants to hear those words, but to be honest I was glad to finally know what was wrong."

The next day the student met his care team at the Leicester Royal Infirmary as they prepared him to undergo treatment.

"There were some days I was in bed being sick 10, 11 times a day," he said. "It was undoubtedly very tough.

"One thing that helped me through it was the fact I kind of distinguished in my mind that all the pain of the chemo and all the sickness and the hair loss that I had to go through, was in the pursuit of getting better."

After six rounds of chemotherapy Charlie said he was able to finish his treatment and start training.

"They told me in the hospital that I was the first person on that ward who'd signed up to do the marathon whilst still going through treatment," he said.

"Hopefully other people can see me and think he's just an ordinary lad who can do that, but also for myself it's a bit of a challenge to say 'listen this period of my life is not going to define me in terms of being ill, not in a negative way.'"

The Teenage Cancer Trust provides specialised nursing care and expert youth support for young people with cancer.

Livingstone-Wyre said the charity provided "massive" amounts of support to him and his mum, including funding a recreation room on the ward which included game consoles so he could play football with his friends when he was well enough.

Harriet Durban, senior third party events manager at the Teenage Cancer Trust, said the organisation was "very grateful" for his fundraising efforts.

"I think it is something that people need to be aware of that young people do get cancer," she said.

"Being a teenager can be quite a difficult time in anyone's life but adding the additional challenge of having cancer makes it incredibly challenging.

Livingstone-Wyre told the BBC he has raised nearly £3,500 for the charity, and was back at university for the final year of his degree in international relations and history.

He added he had finished chemotherapy and received the all-clear in September, and was waiting for a biopsy to confirm there are no signs of lymphoma in the nodes of his neck.

He has also been working hard to get his fitness back to achieve his goal of completing the London Marathon.

"I haven't done much reflecting on everything I went through yet as I just want to get on with life," he said.

"So, there hasn't been that moment where I've been really emotional about what's happened - but I think crossing the finish line at the marathon could be it."

Listen to BBC Radio Leicester on Sounds and follow BBC Leicester on Facebook, on X, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk or via WhatsApp on 0808 100 2210.