Macclesfield: The Christie staff are encouraging donations and entrants to take part in the Great Manchester Run, to help fundraise for the new Macc Christie.

Tracy Iles, the Deputy Chief Operating Officer at The Christie, is running to thank those colleagues who have been looking after her dad who is terminally ill with cancer.

She will zoom through 10km (6.21 miles) to also honour the struggles of some of her colleagues and Christie patients living with and undergoing treatment for cancer.

Her money raised through JustGiving will form part of £23 million required for the construction of the £26m centre.

The new Macclesfield Christie unit will welcome their first patients in December 2020.

Tracy will jog the Great Manchester Run this year as part of a team of 16 staff from The Christie, Manchester's much-loved cancer centre.

The Christie team includes six nurses, four doctors, four managers, a physicist and an estates manager. Many have chosen to enter simply to support the cause, and others decided to join in due to an even more personal connection.

Tracy's dad, John Chapman, was diagnosed with terminal squamous cell carcinoma in 2019.

At the time, he was only expected to live for three to six months but The Christie suggested a course of palliative radiotherapy to slow the cancer's progression and extend his life. This was anticipated to give John a life expectancy of around nine to twelve months.

Tracy said: "As a family, we had to weigh the options up regarding the side-effects of radiotherapy, quality of life and life expectancy. A decision was made in agreement with our dad and the radiotherapy was undertaken at The Christie.

"The personal and compassionate care that was provided at The Christie was outstanding and although our dad is on an 'End of Life' pathway today with the cancer spread, we have been privileged to have had over two years with him with a quality of life that has allowed us in between lockdowns to have quality time with him doing memorable family trips out and activities.

"I want to say a big thank you to The Christie for the outstanding and compassionate care they provide every day for every patient. I'm really proud to work at The Christie and I'm proud to be part of the team for the iconic Great Manchester Run this year."

The Christie team is running for The Christie charity in recognition of the impact the charity has investing in fantastic patient facilities at the cancer centre and funding clinical research to find pioneering new treatments.

Tracy, who lives in the Macclesfield parliamentary constituency, has served as Deputy Chief Operating Officer for The Christie since September 2020.

Tracy added: "The NHS as a whole has faced huge challenges throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and colleagues at The Christie have worked tirelessly with skill, dedication and compassion to keep cancer services going throughout.

"I hope that people throughout Greater Manchester will sign up to run the event for The Christie this year as the pandemic has hit our charity hard and income is down by 25%. Cancer didn't stop in the pandemic and neither did we, but we need our supporters more than ever this year – to either run for us or sponsor someone who is."

To sponsor Tracy please click on this link.

The Christie's head of operations, Bernie Delahoyde, from Stockport, has been instrumental in pulling the team together and is running the event for the third time to help fundraise for the new Macc cancer centre.

She said: "As in every walk of life, I and all of those who are running in this team have known colleagues over the last few years that have been diagnosed with cancer. And just because we work at a cancer centre it is no less shocking or heartbreaking to have to see them go through it.

"Thankfully many colleagues have been successfully treated but there are some who are still on treatment and having to live with a cancer diagnosis, and sadly a few who are no longer with us as the treatments available were not effective.

"That's why the clinical research we do at The Christie is so important as it gives life and hope and it's why our Christie charity is so vital because it helps fund research.

The full Christie team for the event comprises Claire Adams, Faye Barnes, Dr Jon Bell, Mandy Bell, Bernie Delahoyde, Professor Adrian Bloor, Dr Larysa Duniec, Tracy Iles, Stuart Keen, Professor Ranald Mackay, Dr Jaya Nariani, Theresa Plaiter, Rachel Rathbone, Jackie Wrench, Sharon Wroe and Professor Janelle Yorke.

If you would like to sponsor Tracy, please visit this link.

She is eternally grateful for all donations.

Tracy wants to inspire others to crowdfund or even take part in the run themselves.

You need a minimum sponsorship of £150 to take part in the Greater Manchester Run 10k, which takes place on September 26.

Please click here to sign up, and view more races available.

The Christie NHS Foundation Trust was the first specialist trust to be rated as 'Outstanding' twice (in 2016 and 2018) by the health regulator the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

It referred to The Christie as 'a leader in cancer care' and 'a pioneer in developing innovative solutions to cancer care.' The CQC praised the Trust's staff which it said 'go the extra mile to meet the needs of patients and their families' and that they were 'exceptionally kind and caring.'

Gifts from the public make a huge difference to the care and treatment that The Christie is able to provide to patients and their families.

There are just three months to go until the opening of the Victoria Road state-of-the-art cancer care facility.

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