Ripon dad's challenge for Harrogate’s Active Against Cancer

Ant Henson, was diagnosed with incurable pancreatic and liver cancer after suddenly collapsing and being rushed to intensive care in April 2022.

Now at the age of 53 the cancer patient is walking a virtual Pennine Way in his garden to raise money for cancer care charity Harrogate’s Active Against Cancer (AAC).

He wants to raise £10,000 for the charity which helps those living and being treated for cancer maintain and achieve a level of fitness to get them through the ordeals of treatment and surgery as well as providing mental and wellbeing support. 
 

Ant Henson (Image: Supplied) 

Although the initial outlook wasn’t good after his diagnosis, the father of two, whose wife, Fiona, is a teacher at Ripon Grammar School, was given a pioneering operation and treatment which has extended his life.

"The staff at St James’s have done an amazing job keeping me alive I can never thank them enough," he said.

"AAC and have kept up my physical and mental well-being for the past eight months and helped me live as normal a life as possible.

"Without them I would not have been able to deal with the treatments I have received and would not be able to continue to move forward, they have been a key part in keeping me alive and positive."

Ant and Isaac Henson (Image: Supplied)

The family live just outside Ripon and Ant designed the Audi dealership building at Clifton Moor in York.

As part of his treatment, Ant's had embalisations which involves killing parts of his liver where he has 30 tumours - two being the size of a grapefruit.

He said that in July he started Luterthera LU177 treatment, which where nuclear material in made in a particle accelerator in Italy, it then has to be transported and injected into him within 24 hours.

He then spent 24 hours in a lead-lined room where he was checked with a Geiger counter to see if he could go home and once back home he had to isolate for two weeks until the radiation diminished enough for him not to be harmful. 

After each treatment he gradually built up walking around the garden, building up from a few hundred metres to two miles a day.

He has now raised nearly £9,000 of his £10,000 target, and he's now on the last leg when he's being joined by friends, family and supporters, including son, Isaac, who, as The Press reported last year, is a York athletics club sensation and was crowned Yorkshire champion in shot put and javelin.

Isaac is now 18 and about to do his A-levels while Eddie is 21 and studying to be a vet at Liverpool University.

To support Ant go to: https://hhcc.co.uk/hhcc-post/anthony-henson-virtual-pennine-way-for-active-against-cancer/

Ant Henson pictured with wife Fiona and sons Eddie and Isaac, walking in his garden (Image: Supplied)