Cameron Millar

I was diagnosed with ALK+ non-smokers lung cancer in January 2020 and was in complete shock when told it was stage 4 and hadspread to my liver, kidney, spine, and brain.   I did not imagine I would be alive never mind running a relay marathon 28 months later.   

ALK+ is something I had never heard of, but it’s caused by a defective gene that mutates causing an aggressive form of cancer.  

Treatment has been at the Western General Hospital, and I have a brilliant oncologist and superb clinical nurse specialist looking after me very well. I’m on a targeted therapy treatment plan so basically take chemo pills every day.    

Within a few days of being diagnosed I made a decision to live. I could not do this alone and both Balanced and Maggie’s were part of a team that helped me find my feet.    

I had already been seeing Nora for weekly pilates sessions for the previous 8 years, so the trust was already established.   The discipline of pilates under the guidance of Nora has given me physical strength by focusing on the inner core and most importantly breathing.     

When Nora asked if I would run with the Balanced team at the Edinburgh 2022 marathon the answer was an immediate yes, my gratitude to these people runs deep. Maggie’s was a charity I knew of before diagnosis, many people had told me how they had helped in a time of darkness. I found myself knocking on their door when I was diagnosed, actually the door was open and welcoming.   Maggie’s are brilliant, not just for being able to talk out fears but also for cooking advice (yes I went full scale vegan overnight to prepare the body for treatment) and meeting other patients in a relaxed setting. So when Nora said they were raising money for Maggie’s I was an immediate double yes, this is an opportunity to pay respect and show gratitude for one of the best charities in Edinburgh. Thank you Maggie’s, I hope we raise a significant sum. 

Living life, loving life one day at a time