On Tuesday JCR Presidents took part in a run designed “to help to get people talking about cancer, and the impact of cancer on people’s lives at university.”
JCR Presidents from eleven colleges, along with Hannah Cusworth, OUSU Vice-President for Access and Academic Affairs, ran around University Parks. Some ran for half an hour and others for longer. The presidents from LMH and St Hugh’s, Phil Schroeder and Sara Polakova, ran the first 1.5-mile lap as a three-legged pair.
The event was masterminded by Helen Robb, JCR President of St Anne’s. She told Cherwell that her motivation for organising the run was to remove taboos about discussing cancer and to raise awareness of ovarian cancer in particular. She also hoped she might be able to raise awareness of her own fundraising for Macmillan Cancer Relief and that she could get some of the other presidents running.
Robb explained that her interest in ovarian cancer derives from the difficulty of diagnosing the cancer, and from her mother’s experiences with it. Possible symptoms include “bloating, losing weight, gaining weight, feeling a bit sore, feeling a bit tired”, meaning that Robb’s own mother was only diagnosed after four or five visits to the doctor.
Robb said, “Events like this get people talking and help everybody to deal with their difficulties a little better, and be more aware of those problems which may affect others.” She believes that the taboo can cause “two months of feeling really alone” in cancer sufferers or those close to them, by preventing friends from understanding what they are going through.
Robb plans to run the Great North Run, a half marathon, in September. Her original fundraising target, £918 (the wages of a Macmillan Cancer Relief nurse for a week) has already been surpassed. Robb also writes a blog on her personal experiences of cancer.
Exeter President Benjamin Clayton commented, “This is a great idea from Helen. Hopefully we can do everything we can to raise awareness of something which affects nearly everyone, either directly or indirectly. I think that today we can hopefully raise a bit of awareness, and that people reading Cherwell will think they can get involved, no matter how much. I hope it’s a good day with some solid running.”
Beatrice Graham, Trinity JCR President, told Cherwell, “I think it’s really nice how frank and honest Helen’s blog is. Pretty much everybody is affected by cancer at some point in their lives, whether personally or through friends or family, and it’s really good to read about someone who’s having such a personal experience with it but is ready to share and break down the taboo that is still associated with it.”
Runners from Corpus, Exeter, Hertford, Jesus, LMH, New, Queen’s, St Hugh’s, St Anne’s, Trinity and Wadham took part.
