Nathan White, 31, is preparing to run a 67-mile round circuit from Liverpool to Southport and back - the equivalent of two-and-a-half full marathons - in memory of his dad Billy, who died three years ago.
Billy, a dad-of-two and former Forefield Rangers coach, was diagnosed with stage 4 kidney cancer in 2021 after suffering from back pain. Due to the advanced state of the disease, he was quickly moved to end-of-life care, and spent the last eight weeks of his life at Woodlands Hospice in Fazakerley.
A devastating diagnosis
Nathan said: "It was completely out of the blue. He was suffering from some back pains and went for a private scan, and as soon as he had the scan we were told he had stage 4 cancer."
He added: "It was devastating. My dad was the rock of the family, always the funniest and most handsome man in the room. I think we were all a little bit naïve at the time. Until he got moved onto end-of-life care, we were hoping he would get better."
Nathan praised the hospice staff: "I can't remember if we contacted Woodlands or if we were referred, but they were unbelievable. They made us feel at home with my dad. They let us stay morning and night, supported us mentally. Nothing was ever too much for them."
"It was tough for my dad, because he just wanted to come home. And he always thought he was getting home. Even to the last day he would talk about coming home. He never gave up hope."
Running for a cause
Billy died on November 1 2021, age 62. Since then, Nathan has undertaken a number of physical challenges to raise money for Woodlands Hospice, including a 100-mile ultra marathon in the Scottish highlands, and skiing and rowing events.
Nathan is now set to run a 67-mile ultra-marathon from Liverpool to Southport and back with his friend, Tom Gaskell. The pair will set off from Nathan's gym, Hub 108 in Litherland, at 3am on Saturday, August 15. They will be joined at various stages by other supporters as their route takes them over Formby dunes all the way to Southport, then south through Ormskirk, Fazakerley and West Derby before looping back to where they started.
An online fundraiser for the event aims to raise £2,000 for Woodlands Hospice.
Never giving up hope
Nathan said: "We still visit Woodlands all the time. Everyone remembers us. They still remember my dad after three years. They really care about the people, and they have to. Not just about the patients, but about the families."
He added: "I like pushing my body to places which are really difficult, helping a self-funded charity like Woodlands who don't get any sort of government backing."
"There's a lot of people joining me on this run in stages. Overcoming the physical and mental pain is nothing compared to what people on end of life care go through."
