Surgeon completes Great South Run in place of ex-News reporter as she begins cancer treatment
“We want to make people’s lives better for people like Stuart and Elise.”
A surgeon has completed the Great South Run alongside a patient whose life he saved.
Professor Jim Khan, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon at Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust, operated on Stuart Maun when it was discovered he had stage three bowel cancer in 2022.
Stuart, 55, from Southsea, had noticed blood in his poo and required an urgent bowel resection and further liver surgery. He said he owes his life to Prof Khan and ran the Great South Run for Portsmouth Bowel Cancer Appeal, the charity set up by Prof Khan to further treatment and research into the disease.
Stuart said: “I’m so chuffed to have done it. I smashed my anticipated time of 1hr 40min and did it in 1.33.50. Being here today means so much to me. I just wanted the cancer out and to recover as quickly as possible to allow me to do this sort of thing. Unfortunately, I haven’t had the energy since I had chemo – until now.
“I feel honoured and blessed to be here running with Jim. I owe my life to him and I’ll be eternally grateful for what he did for me.”
Prof Khan, who is also the president of The Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, founded PBCA to make the city a centre of excellence for bowel surgery, training and research.
He said: “I’m 53, I live a very sedentary life and I’ve never run 10 miles but I thought I’d better just do it! I was nervous and wondered if I’d even be able to finish it but the thing that got me round was focussing on why we’re here. Through PBCA we want to make people’s lives better for people like Stuart and Elise Sargent - whose place I have taken today.
“I really want to make a change and I know that together we can beat it but we need more funding. If I can do it, anyone can. Let’s join hands together to promote awareness, research and treatment of bowel cancer.”
Former bowel cancer patient Lorraine Till founded the charity with Prof Khan after he saved both her and her husband’s lives with emergency surgery. She said: “It warms my heart to see Stuart and Jim run together. Jim does such incredible work and saves so many lives, including mine – twice. The money we’ve raised will go towards saving even more lives.”
Former News reporter, Elise, 45, is fighting stage four bowel cancer and raising money for Prof Khan’s charity. There’s still time to donate to her appeal by visiting her JustGiving page.