Lisburn GP prepares for London Marathon to raise funds for Macmillan in memory of beloved uncle

Craig Hampshire who lives in Lisburn and works as a GP in Newry is preparing to run the Virgin Money London Marathon in October to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.

Craig’s inspiration for running the marathon is honouring memory of one of his beloved family members.

‘‘My Uncle Ian was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in his early 40’s earlier this year,’’ Craig explains.

‘‘But because of the Covid-19 pandemic and travel restrictions I was unable to attend his funeral. He had posted on social media about his support of Macmillan and I know he had the help of the charity, so I thought it would be a fitting tribute to do something for his chosen charity as a means of remembering his life.”

It comes as Macmillan is funded almost entirely by donations and every penny raised plays a vital role in enabling the charity to continue to provide emotional, financial, and clinical support to ensure local people living with cancer.

Craig explains: ‘‘I’m originally from Fleetwood, Lancashire but have worked in Northern Ireland as a GP for nine years. I have links to Macmillan professionally through their ongoing training and professional development resources and appreciate the work they do to educate and ensure healthcare workers like me have the appropriate skills to help manage patients and families with complex cancer needs.

‘‘I’ve also seen the benefits brought to my patients and their families, not only from a clinical perspective but the holistic approach to the family.

‘‘Whether it be emotional support and signposting to bereavement counselling, financial support or information about diagnosis and treatment options, Macmillan have developed a wonderful resource and support platform which really does deliver to local families and individuals in need.’’

However, Craig admits the challenge of running 26.2 miles won’t be easy: ‘‘I was overweight and had not engaged in meaningful exercise for over a decade,’’ Craig says.

‘‘It’s easy to get into bad habits and looking back, I wasn’t exactly the role model I should have been to patients, when I am promoting a healthy lifestyle.

‘‘I decided to do things in a steady fashion. I looked at my lifestyle in terms of diet and daily routine and identified things to change.

‘‘I used a modified ‘couch to 5K’ training plan initially and when I had built up to a steady jog I looked at shorter goals to keep me motivated.

‘‘I did the Vitality Virtual 10K and subsequently the Lisburn Half Marathon and posted a respectable time of two hours, nine minutes. After having a couple of weeks rest, I am back training using intervals and incline training twice a week and a longer run once a week. I’m now three stone lighter and finding the escalation to the training more manageable.’’

‘‘I was in no condition six months ago to run the length of myself! Poor lifestyle choices, bad habits and routine meant I was in the obese weight range and my blood pressure was also borderline.

‘‘I must say, since I started running, day-to-day things are easier, I have more energy and am heading towards a healthy weight and now have normal blood pressure. As well as the cardiovascular benefits, I will reduce the chances of type two diabetes and also reduce the risk of a number of cancers linked with obesity. The psychological benefits have also been notable. I am happier in myself and because I now dedicate time to training, I have a clear part of the week for my own headspace.

‘‘It gives me time to reflect on some of the stresses we encounter both professionally and personally and allows me to recuperate properly.

‘‘Although as doctors we know about these benefits and preach them often, actually getting into the healthier routine and engaging in the running has given me a better insight into the benefits having actually experienced them.

‘‘I’m very proud to be running for Macmillan and even prouder to be a better role model for my patients and children,’’ Craig adds.

‘‘Working as a GP during Covid has been challenging to say the least,. It was a frantic rush to reconfigure our services and a lot of GPs were advised to go to a telephone triage-based service. It was important that we could communicate with our patients as best as restrictions would allow.

''So we installed a new phone system, invested in new laptops to ensure anyone isolating could try (where possible) to work from home and in the absence of a practice website I developed a website with information for our patients regarding our services and links to Covid-19 resources.

“When you think about it, a GP will see every condition, both physical and mental, crossing all specialities from before birth to after death. One of the big things I appreciate more so now than ever is actually seeing patients.

''As a family doctor you develop a rapport and a relationship with patients and their families. This was something I missed during the earlier stage of the pandemic, so when we engaged in the vaccination programme it was a welcome opportunity to see familiar faces again. We were able to see a lot of patients face to face even for a short time to give the vaccine.

''Some of them had been too frightened to attend the surgery in light of the pandemic and had been relying on telephone triage as a means of getting in touch. Now we can see a lot more patients face to face; I appreciate the unspoken aspects of a consultation.”

Craig will be taking part in the Virgin London Money Marathon in October. He has already raised over £2,000 and has been supported by his family, friends, and colleagues. If you would like to sponsor Craig you can visit his fundraising page at: https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/craig-hampshireMaria Small, Macmillan Fundraising Manager in Northern Ireland said: ''Craig is a superstar supporter and it is fantastic that he is challenging himself to run the London Marathon and doing whatever it takes to raise funds for Macmillan. He has raised a great deal of money already and knows first-hand in his role as a GP, the invaluable support Macmillan provides to people living with cancer and their families here in Northern Ireland. Macmillan is almost entirely funded through donations from our supporters, and we can only be there for people thanks to the wonderful efforts of fundraisers like Craig.''

Those who are experiencing cancer symptoms should contact their GP as a matter of urgency.

If you are affected by cancer, Macmillan provides emotional, practical and financial support to people in Northern Ireland. For support, information, or just a chat, call the Macmillan Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 7 days a week, 8am-8pm, or visit macmillan.org.uk.