Royal Navy: 'I ran 16 marathons in 13 days to raise money for my mum's stage 4 cancer treatment'

Able Rate (AB) Will Matthews, 21, threw himself in his mother’s arms after finishing his monumental feat of endurance at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard this afternoon (October 17). His family and colleagues cheered his arrival, which was the end of a 414 mile trek that started in Gretna Green on the Scottish border on October 5.

He was determined to raise vital funds for his mum Lorna after she was diagnosed with stage 4 oesophageal cancer in June 2022. “I speak for everyone who has a mum,” AB Matthews told The News, “throughout your whole life, she’s doing everything for you. It’s my chance to give back just one per cent of everything my mum has done for me. Before I started, I didn’t expect it to be as hard as it was. Probably just me being a bit silly. On day 3, I remember just sitting on a bench just thinking ‘oh my god, I’m absolutely screwed and I’ve got no chance of finishing this’. But you just get up everyday, get it done, and eventually before you know it, you’re here.”

The Arundel native said he was “relieved” to have completed the challenge which has left him “exhausted”. “I’m just happy it’s done and glad to have raised a lot of money for the fundraiser,” he added. “I’m not doing this for fun.” AB Matthews, a Survival Equipment Technician based at RAF Yeovilton in Somerset, covered an average of 31.8 miles a day during his trek across the UK - traversing country lanes, busy roads and relentless hills. If the running wasn’t challenging enough, the naval technician carried a heavy bag containing all his kit throughout the marathons. He slept outside in a Bivvy sleeping bag most nights. The sight of seeing his mum Lorna, dad Shaun and brother Ryan brought a smile to his face. The family have several relatives who have served in the Royal Navy, with Lorna and Shaun working in the NHS for several decades between them.

Lorna said she was “bursting with pride” when she saw her son run towards her. “It was very emotional,” she added. “I’m not really an emotional person, but it certainly brought a tear to my eye today seeing him complete this. When he told me he was going to complete this, I thought he was mad. It’s an amazing thing he’s done for me.” The 55-year-old said doctors originally told her that her cancer was “incurable”. She has gone through several round of chemotherapy and immunotherapy, which have only been effective to an extent. She is curing undergoing a new form of chemotherapy which is not available through the NHS in England and Wales due to its cost - £5,892.75 per cycle. So far, just over £19,000 has been raised for the family.

“It’s really heart-warming that everyone has been so generous and so kind,” Lorna said. “It has enabled me to pay for my first three treatments, which is fantastic. Hopefully, when I have my scan later this month, hopefully it’ll prove that it’s working and I can carry on with further treatment.” The Arundel resident said despite being told the disease is “incurable”, she’ll keep trying to find a “wonder cure” so she can spend more time with her sons and loved-ones. Shaun said his son showed “immense” effort through his fundraising to support his mum.

“Seeing him run down that last stretch was incredibly emotional and made me want to burst into tears. Just talking about it now makes me emotional. He’s such a good lad and you couldn’t ask for more.” He added: “I feel like if he fell over and broke his leg, he would have still carried on on his hands and knees. He’s a great son.” Shaun said the money raised so far is “just the tip of the iceberg”, with more needing to be done to fund Lorna’s treatment after the first three months. She started the new treatment this summer. Shaun said there have been a few times over the past two years where they family thought Lorna would “not last much longer”, but her determined personality has managed to see her through.

Lorna was originally given 18 months to live, but has gone through 28 months with various treatments. “Cancer is a terrible thing, we all know that,” Shaun said. “It just ruins your life. It feels like your life has been put on hold. We just know where we’re going, how long she’s going to last, if she’s going to last, if we’re going to find a cure for this. It rips your soul out. You can’t see any future. You think of it when you get up in the morning and when you go to bed at night. You dream about it, it takes over your life. You cannot see light at the end of the tunnel. All you can think about is this cancer. It’s not just the person suffering from the cancer that is suffering, it’s the family, close friends and work colleagues.”

He added loose retirement plans to get a camper van and travel around Europe have been put on hold, with doubts whether it’ll happen at all. Despite all the challenges, the new treatment has shown some signs of positivity. Shaun said Lorna was “bed-ridden”, had no energy and was hardly eating before the treatment started, but has slowly improved. Shaun said: “I hope it’s a sign that it’s working. She has a scan booked in a few weeks time, and hopefully in a few weeks time, we’ll get the result we’re looking for.” If you wish to donate to Will and his family for Lorna’s treatment, visit the GoFundMe link here.