International Women's Day: oncologist and Ironman champ Lucy’s passion shines
When Nottingham oncologist Lucy Gossage wanted a sabbatical to become a full-time triathalete, she told her bosses that being a professional athlete would make her a better doctor.
Now, nearly 10 years later, and with 14 Ironman championships under her belt, her words could never be truer – she’s just raised an incredible £31,000 for the Move Against Cancer charity.
“Anyone who knows me or follows me will understand my deep-seated passion to support others via Move Against Cancer,” said Lucy. “I know firsthand the impact of the work we do - it honestly does change lives.”
Earlier this year, Lucy did the gruelling Stumbling to the Spine challenge – crossing the 268-mile Pennine Way non-stop, including finding herself off course, sleep-walking, in pitch black, in snow, hallucinating, with very little visibility and being completely disorientated.
“I was terrified, yet also on a high, because I knew that experiences like this were exactly what I was looking for.
“I am utterly mind-blown at the huge amount of support I received. To read the messages and comments and see the donations was truly humbling. I hate that word but for this, I don’t know what other word I can use.
“The generosity of the nearly 900 people who donated - I can’t put into words what this means. We’re a small charity and £31,000 (including gift aid) is more than 20% of our annual income.”
The challenge was a return to form for Lucy. She’d entered her first Ironman as a dare, with no idea that that would become an all-encompassing hobby.
“I started to train rather than exercise. I went part-time at work and - when I finished my PhD - I had a two-and-a-half year sabbatical to race and train around the world as a full-time triathlete.”
That two-and-a-half years stretched to nearly eight and in 2016, Lucy returned to her job. Two years later, she reached out to Gemma Hillier-Moses, fellow international athlete, cancer survivor and founder of Move Against Cancer, with an idea.
“There was a young man with a brain tumour that I met as a trainee oncologist,” said Lucy. “He had hopefully been cured, but, in the process, had put on huge amounts of weight, had lost his job and was playing computer games all night and sleeping most of the day.
“There was accumulating evidence that being active for people with cancer might be helpful, and I was aware of the benefits of exercise for people with depression. And I loved parkrun. I wondered if we could encourage a group of young people with cancer to build up to walking a 5km at parkrun? Could that be a way to combine the physical benefits of exercise with the psychological benefits of working towards a shared goal?
Gemma was already facilitating walk-and-talk sessions with young people with cancer.
“We had a coffee and realised straight away that we shared the same deep-seated belief that movement could be a powerful antidote to the physical and psychological impacts of a cancer diagnosis.
Together, they launched 5k Your Way, which runs at designated parkrun events each month and brings together cancer patients, those living with cancer, their families, and healthcare professionals away from the hospital environment.
There are now more than 90 5k Your Way groups across the UK and Ireland, and a network of more than 300 volunteers. One of those is Lizzie Paddock, diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2017, at the age of 26, who was asked to be an Ambassador for Nottingham’s 5k Your Way by Lucy, her oncologist.
“They say if exercise was a pill, we should give it to everyone – and that’s true,” says Lizzie. “I’d say to anyone – take the plunge and go for it. You won’t look back. It’s life-changing and it is something you can do for yourself, to take back a bit of control at a time when you feel like you have none.”
And of her gruelling Spine challenge? “I am lucky I am to be able to train; to be outside; to be happy; to be able to make the most of life,” says Lucy. “No matter how tough the Spine was, I’m aware that I am choosing to suffer and can make it stop at any point. Cancer patients don’t get that choice.”
Move Against Cancer’s mission is to support and inspire people to Move Against Cancer. It delivers an 8-week online programme for 13 to 30-year-olds diagnosed with cancer. To find out more about the charity, visit MOVE Charity - Cancer, Support, Exercise