Running for DKMS and keeping Chris’ memory alive
Getting through each day
The festive season can be hard for those of us who have lost loved ones. When Chris passed away, having been diagnosed with leukaemia out of the blue just a couple of months earlier, Suzie had to concentrate on keeping going for their little son Ollie.
“For the first couple of years after Chris died I was just trying to get through each day and maintain bringing up Ollie to the best of my ability – as well as my job as an anaesthetist, which is quite challenging – and keep on top of everything,” Suzie, who lives in London, explains.
Chris’ diagnosis
“We were on holiday the week before Chris got diagnosed, and he was completely well. It was a massive shock. He was at work, he had a routine blood test and then he got a call to say that his neutrophils had dropped, and could he come in for a bone marrow biopsy the following day.
“I thought it was just a post-viral thing. But he was a bit nervous, so he asked me to go with him,” Suzie continues. “Thank God I did. We got the results the same day – he had leukaemia and they wanted to admit him that day to start his chemo. When they found out we had an 18 month old son, they let Chris come home for a couple of days, to spend a bit of time with him. Again, thank God, they did, because that was one of the last times he saw Ollie. He was in hospital for about six weeks; he came home on New Year’s Day for a week between chemo and then he died at his next chemo round, four weeks later."
Searching for a stem cell match
“We had been looking for a bone marrow match: we never got the results. We were a bit worried because Chris had mixed Caucasian/Greek heritage, and his doctors were looking to worldwide stem cell donor registers – that was the first I knew that they existed.”
As Suzie gradually managed to make a bit of time to focus on her own wellbeing, she found out about DKMS through a friend who, tragically, had also lost his partner – to lymphoma.
She continues, “I started giving to DKMS and I wanted to raise funds to help them sign people up to the stem cell donor register, because it’s actually quite a simple thing, and increasing the number of people who know about it, and about donating can have such a good impact. I thought, ‘This is a way I can keep Chris’ memory alive.'”
Starting to run
One of her friends told her she was doing a run and Suzie signed up too, getting sponsored for DKMS, despite never having really run before.
“I suppose it was a challenge for me, also giving me an excuse for a bit more fitness and for my own mental health – it gave me a push to find any opportunity and get out there and run.”
Suzie’s success
In September 2025, Suzie crossed the finishing line of the 10K Saucony Run in London in 58 minutes, smashing her target to run it in an hour. She had raised over £2,800 for DKMS in memory of Chris. Proudly cheering her on was Ollie, now five years old.
“I try and tell him lots about Chris – stories about him and what he was like, and I’ve made a photo album that Ollie sometimes looks at. And he asks questions, I try and keep free, open conversation about him."
Remembering Chris
“It feels really nice to keep Chris’ name alive. Because he was so friendly – when people met him, they would always remember him. Even if it was just a single conversation at a party, people would come back years later and say ‘I remember that conversation, I’ll never forget him, he had a real impact on me.’ He just brought light to every room and every person.”
Interested in taking on a challenge to raise funds for DKMS UK? Contact fundraising@dkms.org.uk to get started.
