Milton Keynes man who had many of his organs removed proves how fit he is with mammoth fundraising trek

A man who underwent one of the UK’s most radical surgical procedures to overcome cancer has become a ‘poster boy’ for health and fitness.

John Cunningham, 69, had all the organs in his pelvic cavity removed by surgeons after he was diagnosed with stage 3-4 bowel cancer.

Without the gruelling 16-hour surgery, the dad of two would have had only 15 months to live, doctors told him.

The operation left John with two stoma bags but successfully halted the cancer. And his medical team at St Mark’s Hospital in Maidenhead head was amazed at how quickly he bounced back to health after a month stay in hospital.

He is now a ‘poster boy’ for St Mark’s extolling the benefits of exercise and a healthy diet.

On April 1, John and his wife Wendy are proving his fitness and saying thank you to the hospital that saved his life by setting off on a fundraising walk to trek from one end of the country to another, from Land’s End to John O’Groats.

Together they will walk 1,000 miles, aiming at 20 miles a day and living in a camper van as they go. Their aim is to raise £10,000 to be spit between St Mark’s Hospital and Willen Hospice, where John was a member of the Business Club at Willen Hospice before retiring.

They have set up a fundraising page, which you can view here.

"A long held retirement plan of ours was to walk from Lands End to John O' Groats. Not sure if this could now happen, we never gave up hope. We held this as a goal during the long gruelling rehabilitation from cancer,” who is a Christian.

“I guess you could call it a walk of faith.”

He will be the first person ever with two stoma bags to complete the walk. “It’s all about timing,” he said. .

The couple are keen walkers and have in the past conquered Mount Kilimanjaro, followed the Inca Trail, and trekked to Everest Base Camp in

Nepal.

John said: “When I was first diagnosed with cancer we started eating more healthy organic food and each lost three stone. Wendy has been with me every step of the way. It hasn’t been easy, and I couldn’t have done it without her.

“The fact that we are able to attempt this walk is fantastic and shows you should never give up on yourself.”

The couple are hoping that on the completion of each day’s walk, local volunteers will give them a lift back to the day’s start point where they can pick up their camper van.

They plan to leapfrog up the country in this manner relying on public goodwill but admit it could be something of a logistical nightmare.

“We’re hoping to capture the public’s imagination and have even been in contact with the Guinness Book of Records to see if my condition puts me in the

running for a record attempt.” said John.