A Birchington dad-of-two will be walking a six mile route around Westgate to raise money for charity in memory of his wife.
Scott Henniker, from Birchington, is hoping people will join him as he sets off from The Swan in Sea Road to raise the funds for Breast Cancer Now in honour of his wife Hayley who died of secondary breast cancer in 2020 aged just 47.
He will be joined on the walk by family and friends of Hayley.
Hayley was diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer in 2014 and despite responding well to treatment, was told the cancer had spread to her brain in 2018.
Scott said: “Hayley was originally diagnosed with breast cancer in January 2014. Just a week after we found that out, we received the devastating news that she had secondary breast cancer.”
When breast cancer cells spread from the first cancer in the breast to other parts of the body it is called secondary or metastatic breast cancer and although treatable, it can’t be cured.
Data and Training Co-ordinator Scott said: “Hayley had an operation to remove the tumour in her brain and recovered well. She was always so positive, and you would not have known she was so unwell. However, the cancer came back and for a time was kept under control by radiotherapy, but Hayley started to decline significantly from March 2020, and she sadly passed away in the August with me and our two children by her side.
“Hayley fundraised for breast cancer charities and always tried to raise awareness when she was with us and we have always wanted this to continue in her physical absence.
“This is our fifth year doing the walk and it’s the perfect way to remember the amazing and inspirational person Hayley was.”
Scott and his family set up a memory fund for Hayley with Breast Cancer Now and have raised almost £9,000 to go towards vital research by the charity. All money raised from this year’s In Memory walk will go towards the fund.
Scott said: “Seeing what the disease did to Hayley in the lead up to her untimely passing is something that will live with us forever. We want to raise money and awareness of the importance of research into secondary breast cancer.”
Breast Cancer Now have recently announced a funding grant of £173,414 to Dr Matt Williams at Imperial College London, who will investigate whether a type of targeted radiotherapy, called DE-iPTV VMAT, could be a more effective treatment for secondary breast cancer patients.
This type of radiotherapy targets secondary breast cancer tumours in the brain while minimising damage to healthy tissues, which should cause fewer side effects for patients than whole-brain radiotherapy.
Scott said: “Hayley received localised and whole brain radiotherapy and experienced all kinds of challenging side effects. We watched her gradually become a completely different person to the one we knew and loved which was heartbreaking for our family. I support any research that is looking for more targeted and effective treatments for breast cancer that has spread to the brain, so that less people lose loved ones to this dreadful disease.”
The In Memory walk is planned for 9.30am on Sunday 21st July. For more information about taking part or to donate, please visit: breastcancernow.org/hayleys-walk
Breast Cancer Now
Call the free helpline on 0808 800 6000 to speak to their expert nurses or find out more and donate at breastcancernow.org
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