An Ovingham pensioner, who walks a mile a day, in memory of his wife Ann who died on his birthday, is calling on others to step up for Cancer Research UK’s latest fundraising campaign, Walk All Over Cancer.
Gordon McIntosh, 86, was married to his wife Ann for over 60 years until her death in May 2019 from oesophageal cancer.
They met while Gordon was working as a chemist at Proctor and Gamble on Tyneside and where Ann started in the Works Office aged just seventeen.
Gordon said: “Coincidentally, it all started with a walk. I used to walk to another laboratory so I could catch a glimpse of Ann in her office. It was definitely love at first sight. One evening after work I caught up with Ann walking along City Road. Where I got the courage from I’lI never know, but I said, shall we go to the Newsreel Cinema and she said yes. We didn’t see any of the news items, but that was the start of our long and happy life together. The rest as they say is history. Now here I am walking every day in her memory.”
The couple were married in 1958, after Gordon completed his national service and was deployed to Cyprus.
They went on to have two children and two grandchildren and were by each other’s side through everything during their 61 years of marriage, including when Gordon was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2001.
Gordon underwent 37 rounds of radiotherapy, completing his last session on his birthday and wearing celebratory Union Jack underpants to mark the occasion.
He said: “I was so fortunate that my treatment was successful and I coped very well with it, even being able to keep swimming throughout. I have been monitored for the past 20 years by the same consultant, who follows me up every six months from the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. I now have daily tablets to keep my prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels under control.”
To celebrate his successful treatment and to help give something back to research that saved his life Gordon took on a challenge to walk Hadrian’s Wall in 2005.
He said: “I had just turned 70, so to mark the birthday and being cancer free I set off walking. My darling Ann supported me every step of the way, driving me to the starting point and following me in her car and waiting for me with cups of tea. It took me six days to walk the 84 miles and I raised £1144 for Cancer Research UK.”
Sadly, this wasn’t going to be the last time the couple faced a cancer diagnosis, when in July 2018 Ann was diagnosed with advanced cancer of the oesophagus after experiencing severe indigestion.
Unfortunately for the couple, it wasn’t operable and the only treatment option for Ann was radiotherapy, which she began in autumn that same year.
Gordon said: “Sadly, the radiotherapy treatment was unsuccessful and Ann deteriorated over Christmas. She was determined to die at home and as a family we made this happen by my daughter Alison moving in with us for three months, while our son Ross popped in whenever he could. It was incredibly painful to watch my wife deteriorate. She died on my birthday in May 2019.”
Following Ann’s death Gordon decided to set himself a new walking challenge, this time in her memory. In June 2021 he set off walking a simulated Hadrian’s Wall walk at Tyne Riverside Country Park in Prudhoe. And he hasn’t stopped yet.
Each day Gordon walks one mile and has so far walked the equivalent of 84 miles East to West of Hadrian’s Wall, and 84 miles West to East.
He is now into his second leg, has raised over £2600 for Cancer Research UK and has vowed to keep walking until he can’t do it anymore.
Gordon, who logs his adventures on his blog – The Big G Chronicles, said: “I’m a bit like Forest Gump. I started walking in June last year, but have just kept on going. I do it for the joy of meeting people, who are so kind, waving to me and greeting me, and seeing the dogs and the birds. I am raising funds, but I have also made some good friends along the way.”
Every morning Gordon sets off with his walking bag, which inside includes dog biscuits for the dogs he meets along the way and even a first aid kit after coming to the rescue of a Park Run participant.
He said: “I enjoy meeting new people and their kindness is wonderful. It makes my day going on that walk and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I’m often reminded of Kate Adie, the BBC correspondent who wrote the book The Kindness of Strangers. I just wish Ann was here walking with me, but I carry her photo with me every day and show her to people who stop to chat so they can see why I’m walking.”
Gordon is hoping to inspire others and inviting people to follow in his footsteps and sign up to their own walking challenge as part of Cancer Research UK’s Walk All Over Cancer in March.
The charity is asking people to get sponsored to walk 10,000 steps every day in March to help support the charity’s life-saving mission.
Gordon, who also walks in memory of his son’s Spanish sister-in-law Imna, who also died from cancer, said: “I know just how important science is to beating cancer. Research gave me the greatest gift of all – more precious time with my loved ones – but I have also seen how cancer can take everything away. Without research into better treatments, we won’t be able to help save more lives.
“I hope people Walk All Over Cancer this March. Just like me, everyone can go at their own pace and build the steps into their day-to-day routine, whether they walk on their own or with family and friends. The important thing is every step will help Cancer Research UK to keep making great strides in the fight against the disease.”
In the North East, around 17,600 people are diagnosed with cancer a year.* But, thanks to research more people than ever across the UK are surviving their cancer for 10 years or more.
This year marks 20 years since Cancer Research UK was formed and to celebrate its birthday it is paying tribute to supporters like Gordon for the part they have played in this progress.
The charity’s history, however, goes back much further to the founding of the Imperial Cancer Research Fund in 1902 – meaning its work has been at the heart of some of the biggest developments in cancer, including some of the most used cancer drugs around the world today.
Lisa Millett, Cancer Research UK’s spokesperson for the North East, said: “Every day we see the benefits of research we’ve previously funded being realised, helping people like Gordon live longer and healthier lives, but also the need for more to be done to help people like his wife Ann. So as we mark our 20th anniversary, we want to say a heartfelt thank you to him for his incredible commitment to the cause.
“1 in 2 of us will get cancer in our lifetime**, and so we will never stop striving to create better treatments for tomorrow. That’s why we need everyone to step up to Walk All Over Cancer. It’s a safe and simple way to show support during these challenging times and a great way for homeworkers to increase their daily step count.
“Plus, knowing you’ll be helping to save and improve lives for generations to come is the ultimate motivation. We’ve come so far. And we will go much further. Together we will beat cancer.”
Ten thousand steps is equal to about five miles, based on the average person’s strides, so by the end of March participants will have clocked up more than 150 miles.
Lisa added: “This past year proves, more than any other, the value of research and what can be achieved together. Just like science is our route out of the pandemic, science is our route to beating cancer.
“From proving the link between smoking and cancer to laying the foundations for modern radiotherapy – our scientists have been at the forefront of cancer research for 120 years. And we’re not stopping now – so we hope people will pull on their walking shoes and help us to keep pushing forward.”
To sign up and receive a free fundraising pack and t-shirt, visit cruk.org/walkallover.