Shrewsbury teacher and Nym the dog walk 26,000 steps in bowel cancer fundraiser
She may not be able to give him a hug, but a Shrewsbury schoolteacher let her cancer-stricken brother know she cares by pounding the streets with her trusty companion.
Mary Massey, deputy principal at The Priory School in Longden Road, picked up the 2.6 Challenge by walking 26,000 steps around Dorrington with her collie Nym.
She was raising money for Bowel and Cancer Research after her brother Mike Thomas was diagnosed earlier this year. So far she has made £500.
Mary and Nym set off at 8am and covered around 15km.
She said: “I wanted to do something which was difficult enough to be challenging but not impossible. I’m lucky that when I leave my front door I’m in the countryside so walking locally was easy.”
Mike is a third of the way through chemotherapy after being diagnosed in January. Mary added: "I can't go and give him a hug as he copes with side-effects and self-isolation so this will have to do instead.”
Mike, 55, was touched by his sister’s gesture and spent much of the morning texting messages of support.
“The phone kept pinging all the way – the support I got from friends and family was amazing. I had to stop to recharge the battery at one stage,” said Mary.
“I fell over once – but no harm done. And Nym didn’t stop running at all – she has boundless energy.
“I’m glad to be able to support a cause which often gets neglected because people are sometimes embarrassed to talk about bowel disease.”
Anyone who wants to support Mary can do so at uk.virginmoneygiving.com/MaryMassey
