Man running 48 miles over weekend in memory of partner who died of lung cancer

The partner of a 29-year-old cancer victim is running 48 miles this weekend to raise money for charity in her memory.

Alix Burnard passed away from ALK-positive lung cancer on January 14 this year after living with the disease for 18 months.

Despite being a healthy non-smoker, Miss Burnard was diagnosed with the rare and incurable form of lung cancer in June 2021 after suffering from a persistent cough.

After being diagnosed, she began to blog about her experiences of living with cancer, gaining national attention for her positive outlook and message.

Writing in a blog post before her death, she said: “I’ve learned in this situation, as another lung cancer patient put it, it’s not how long you live, it’s how well you live, and it’s so important to make the most of the life you have — even if it’s limited.

“I just want to spend time with those I love most, I want to travel, I want to be in nature, and I want to be as well as I can be.”

Her partner Jamie Matthews will be running four miles, every four hours for a period of 48 hours on Greenham Common this weekend to raise money for ALK+ International, a charity that supports ALK-positive lung cancer patients and raises funds for research into the disease.

This Sunday, April 30, would have been Miss Burnard’s 30th birthday.

Mr Matthews said: “When I lost Alix, I lost my person, my purpose in life, my soul mate. Her message and courage needs to live on.

“I plan to continue the work she has started, and keep her spirit alive. The first being a fundraiser for her birthday.

“I have selected ALK+ International, a charity, which she supported. Please help me do this for my Alix.”

Mr Matthews has already managed to raise £9,900 in his fundraiser, and he’s hoping more people will donate following this weekend’s running challenge.

He is also hoping other people will join by running, walking or cycling alongside him or virtually throughout the weekend in his late partner’s memory.

To read more about Miss Burnard’s story and to find out how to join in with and donate to Mr Matthew’s fundraiser, visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/jamie-matthews-1679346296987

He has done 160 miles in training for this challenge since he set up the fundraiser in February.

He said: “It is a way of keeping her memory alive by doing something good on her birthday and to try and tackle the grief in a positive way.”