A man who is in remission after battling cancer is swimming a mile a day to raise money for charity.
Guy O’Leary from Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin, who found out he had the disease in November 2017, has been doing the challenged throughout May.
The 36-year-old stockbroker has already raised €65,000 for the Irish Cancer Society and Cancer Research UK and wants to spread the word that “if you don’t feel well get checked up”.
Speaking to the Irish Mirror, Guy said he was fit and healthy and showed no signs of having the disease before being diagnosed.
He added: “My father had stage one bowel cancer a couple of years ago and my wife was pretty adamant that I go and get checked.
“If you were to go by the normal guidelines, 10 years prior to when my dad got diagnosed, that would have said to get checked in my mid to late 50s.
“So I thought being in my mid 30s I was in no danger. When I went and got checked they found a tumour and that was it, I became a cancer patient.
“I had to have major surgery and I thought I was out of the woods but in January last year they found the cancer had moved into my liver.
“I had to have more major surgery to remove part of my liver and then had to have 11 cycles of chemotherapy after that.
“That’s what I was up to last year. It’s horrendous and definitely the toughest thing I have been through.
“I don’t smoke, I exercise, I only drink occasionally and I’m in my mid 30s. It’s a devastating diagnosis and one that changes your life.”
Guy, who has been carrying out the challenge in swimming pools and at Seapoint and the Forty Foot in Dun Laoghaire said: “My main aim with this campaign is if you have a family history of cancer or you feel funny in any way then go and get checked.
“I have swam 29 miles already and have had around 50 people swimming with me. Friends, family, my doctors, it’s been really great.
“I wouldn’t count myself as a swimmer but thought it would be a good challenge.
“Last year I couldn’t even walk in the park and now I’m doing this.
“I have raised about €65,000 so far which is great and I’m hoping to do a bit more.
“I was always fit and active and liked challenges so I feel if I can finish 31 miles of swimming I’m probably back to my old self.”
