Cancer survivor raises more than £100,000 for research

A golf lover has raised more than £114,000 after challenging his surgeons to a golf tournement. Catherine Scott reports.

When Richard Maltby was diagnosed with bowel and liver cancer in 2002 he was given a 40 per cent chance of survival;.

Now, 15 years on and Richard has raised an incredibile £114,000 and he now plans to boost funds with his 15th annual RIM Charity Golf Challenge in July.

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Richard, 67, a retired manager at BT, who lives in Aberford, Leeds was given life-saving bowel and liver surgery and a six-month course of chemotherapy at Spire Leeds Hospital, followed by an excision of tumour due to recurrence in 2004, he has now been clear of the disease for 13 years.

He was so grateful to the doctors for saving his life, this motivated Richard to challenge his surgeons to a golf tournament to raise funds for Rays of Hope Charity – the Yorkshire Liver Research Fund, to aid others with the disease.

Together with his family and friends, Richard set up the annual event at Wetherby Golf Club.

The appeal helps fund research into combined liver and bowel cancer, led by Professor Giles Toogood, who treated Richard at Spire Leeds Hospital together with Professor David Sebag-Montefiore and Simon Ambrose.

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Richard, who is married with two children and one grandchild, said, “I was so grateful to the doctors for saving my life I wanted to say thank you in some way. The first tournament was such a success we decided to make it an annual event. We hope that by offering golfers an opportunity to compete against surgeons from Spire and other high profile teams this year’s contribution will receive a significant boost.”

“Unfortunately Richard’s condition is not uncommon,” says Professor Giles Toogood, consultant hepatobiliary and liver transplant surgeon at Spire Leeds Hospital.

“Around 60 per cent of people with bowel cancer go on to develop liver cancer as well. We are extremely grateful for Richard’s efforts and monies raised will help fund key developments in research for hepatobiliary surgery and oncology.

“It’s support is invaluable in finding new ways to treat the disease; including research into the effects of using Omega-3 fatty acids on liver cancer, as well as working towards developing a new vaccine.”

For more informtaion visit yorkshireliverresearchfund.com

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