Lung Cancer patient Craig Maxwell completes epic 780 mile walk to help improve cancer pathways in Wales
On Sunday 10th March, Craig Maxwell , who has incurable and inoperable EGFR+ lung cancer, completed his incredible Coastal Path Challenge to raise money for the Maxwell Family Genomics Fund on behalf of Velindre Cancer Centre and the QuicDNA Liquid biopsy clinical trial. To conclude the walk, Craig, accompanied by his wife Tracey and two children Isla and Zach, walked the Six Nations Wales Vs France ball- which he’d carried with him for the duration of the challenge- onto the pitch to a standing ovation from over 71000 fans.
The challenge saw Craig covering 780 miles of Wales’ coastal path over 26 days. He was joined by a total of 600 walkers, a host of which were celebrities including TV presenter Gethin Jones, comedian Rhod Gilbert, weatherman Derek Brockway and former rugby players Sam Warburton, Jamie Roberts and Josh Navidi. The 780 mile distance was chosen to represent the 78 days it took Craig to receive his diagnosis from the point of finding his tumour and the 26 days to represented the QuicDNA trial, which aims to reduce diagnosis time for lung cancer patients to a maximum of 26 days.
Also joining Craig for sections of the walk were Genomics Partnership Wales’ Head of Programmes Michaela John, Sounding Board Member Clare Gabriel and Magda Meissner, Clinical Lead for the QuicDNA liquid biopsy trial.
With £877,000 already raised, the former WRU commercial director is aiming to raise a monumental £1m for the Maxwell Family Fund, a fund as part of Velindre Cancer Centre, to enhance, improve and develop the cancer pathway in Wales.
To find out more about Craig’s fundraising journey, visit the Maxwell Family Genomics Fund Website or read more about the QuicDNA Liquid Biopsy clinical trial here