Jo Kellett, Christie fundraiser

In December 2019, Jo Kellet’s dad Jimmy started experiencing pains in his stomach. He shrugged the pains off until Jo and the rest of her family urged him to get it checked out at the doctors. In August 2020, Jo and her family were devastated when Jimmy was diagnosed with bowel cancer.

The diagnosis came as a big shock to the whole family as Jimmy had always been otherwise healthy. He was referred to The Christie for treatment but due to the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, he had to go to all his appointments alone.

Jimmy is now undergoing his second round of chemotherapy at The Christie, and will need an operation to remove his bowels. This means he will need a stoma for the rest of his life but as he went to the doctors and got checked early, Jo and the rest of the family are hoping that the treatment will be a success.

Jo is grateful for the care that her dad has had at The Christie, saying she couldn’t thank the nurses, doctors and the rest of the team enough.

To show her support for The Christie, Jo is taking on The Christie charity’s Snowdon at Night challenge. On the night of 14 August, Jo and a group of other dedicated fundraisers will trek to the top of Wales’ highest mountain. Scaling to heights of 1,085m, they’ll only have torches to light their way, with the moon as their back drop.

“The Christie charity is one that is close to our hearts and we want to raise as much money as possible to say thank you to The Christie, and also to make people aware and understand the seriousness of making sure you get yourself checked, not brushing it off.
“Myself and Adam decided to do the Snowdon at Night trek to raise the money as we both enjoy the outdoors and walks. With COVID-19, we have been stuck indoors isolating for most of the year as my dad is vulnerable. This will be one hell of a challenge for us both and the biggest walk we will have achieved – raising the money will make it worth it all the more!”

Do you want to be part of #TeamChristie at Snowdon? Sign up for the Snowdon at Night challenge today and help raise money for The Christie charity.