Dan Jarvis taking on eighth London Marathon to encourage more Northern men to get cancer symptoms checked

Mr Jarvis, whose first wife Caroline died of cancer in 2010, said as well as the impact of the pandemic putting people seeking treatment, there is already a long-standing issue with men in the North being reluctant to ask for medical advice if they start showing potential cancer symptoms.

“I have a very long standing appreciation of the impact that cancer can have on families. I’ve been hugely impressed over the years by work that Cancer Research UK do - they are a phenomenal organisation doing life-saving work,” he said.

“It is partly about the money but it is also about awareness.

“Early diagnosis is absolutely crucial, resulting in having a better chance of fighting against the disease. Men, particularly in the north of England and certainly in Yorkshire, are notoriously bad when it comes to get themselves checked out if they’ve got a problem. I can’t tell you how many conversations I’ve had with men who’ve said ‘I put it off and didn’t want to go, I thought it would go them away or sort itself out, I was a bit embarrassed about it and kept it to myself’.

"I’m saying to all those men out there, if you think there is a problem go to your GP as quickly as you can and get it checked. Don’t delay.”

He said the impact of the pandemic on the NHS has delayed diagnosis and treatment in many cases.

“The sad truth is a lot of people in this country will die not of Covid but because of it because of the impact the pandemic had on the NHS. The NHS has done a wonderful job but it hasn’t been business as usual for some considerable period of time. There is a real concern about the knock-on effect that will have on people who would perhaps have been seen later than they otherwise would have been.

“We’ll be dealing with the fallout from Covid for a very considerable period of time. That will impact on cancer care.”

The Barnsley MP has raised £4,000 so far for this year’s run - thanks in part to an anonymous £1,000 donation.

“I have no idea who that person is and will probably never know but I am incredibly grateful to them.”

Mr Jarvis admitted he has not been able to do as much training as he normally would this year due to work commitments.

“If I can get back in under four hours, I will be happy,” he said.

Mr Jarvis said while he loves running in any location, there is something particularly special about the London Marathon.

“There is something extraordinary about being on the start like at the London Marathon. There’s so much emotion, so many hopes and dreams. There’s something really kind of uplifting and inspiring about being there at the beginning and there’s so much money to being raised for good causes. There are lots of people like me who are raising money for a cause which is very close to their heart due to personal experiences.

“The support you get as you go around is almost overwhelming.”

He said participating in the event for a cause like Cancer Research has also brought him into contact with people he otherwise wouldn’t have met.

“A few years ago when I did it, all sorts of people got in touch who would never have got in touch with their MP about anything else. People would stop me in the street and share their experiences of cancer and how it affected them in their lives. On one occasion, I was walking through the town centre in Barnsley and this massive bloke sort of shouted over at me. He was like a man mountain and came over to me and I was wondering what he was going to say.

"He told me his mum had died from cancer and he was incredibly pleased to see I was running the marathon and just pulled out £20 out of his pocket and donated it, which I thought was just incredibly sort of generous of him and quite moving that he was prepared to sort of come over and tell me about the fact that his mum died from cancer. It shows how many people have been touched by cancer.”

To support Mr Jarvis, visit https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/page/dans-london-marathon-5.

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