Matt Duggan has raised $100K running a marathon per day for 12 days
‘I was told I was too young to have cancer:’ Why this man is running from the bottom of Tasmania to the top.
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In May of last year Matt Duggan was training for his first ever marathon but his plans were put on hold when he was given a shock diagnosis of bowel cancer.
“I was told I was too young to have cancer by a lot of doctors along my journey,” the 37-year-old said.
He said he wants to help stop the stigma of bowel disease being an old person’s disease.
“If I have to run from Cockle Creek to Stanley that’s what I’m going to do.”
Mr Duggan has been running a marathon a day for the past 12 days and is set to make it to the pinnacle of his trip on Wednesday.
He encouraged everyone to tune in with their body and take notice of any changes.
“You know you’re body better than anyone else,” Mr Duggan said.
“If you notice any changes, especially in your daily bowel habits, then go and get checked out.”
Mr Duggan had suffered with diarrhoea for an extended period of time but he didn’t call the doctor until he noticed blood in his bowel movements.
“But sometimes it’s too late by that stage,” he said.
Mr Duggan encouraged doctors to consider checking for bowel cancer in younger patients as the incidence rates in young people increase.
While sitting in the hospital bed Mr Duggan was coming up with ways to raise awareness for the deadly disease and get back to his training.
He decided he would run from one end of Tasmania to the other in 12 days to signify the 12 rounds of chemotherapy he went through during treatment.
Mr Duggan also had an operation to have a 10 centimetre tumour cut out of his bowel and is now in the surveillance stage for the next five years.
On the North-West Coast after 12 days of running, Mr Duggan was feeling positive and said people had been beeping encouragement and donating to the cause the whole way up the state.
“It means the message is getting out there and people are talking about it.”
Mr Duggan said the last leg of his marathon mission, climbing to the top of the Nut at Stanley, would be the easiest part of the run.
“Once I see the nut and see Stanley I’ll just be that excited to run to the top.
“I’ll just be able to run on adrenaline and it will be unreal.”
Mr Duggan’s family and friends from down south will be on the Nut to meet him as he finishes.
His Mum Kerrie, Dad Steve, wife Kelly and 3-year-old daughter Halle have been alongside him the whole way.
He said having the support of his family has been instrumental in finishing both cancer treatment and his marathon mission.
“It’s a massive team effort and I couldn’t do it without them,”
On day 12 Mr Duggan had raised a whopping $100,000 for the Cancer Council, smashing his original goal of $20,000.
Cancer Council Tasmania CEP Alison Lai said Mr Duggan’s fundraising and awareness raising efforts were “totally amazing”
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