MEMBERS of a Coulsdon family doubly hit by cancer are running the London Marathon to raise funds for the hospital that helped them with "absolutely incredible" treatment.
Louann Heale was treated at the Royal Marsden five years ago for breast cancer.
Just a couple of years after she was given the all-clear, her son, Marcus, was diagnosed with testicular cancer.
Thankfully, Marcus is also well on his way to overcoming the disease, as he now has to return to the hospital only for three-monthly check-ups.
Now, as a thank-you for their "amazing" care, Marcus, 25, and his dad George, 53, are running the marathon next month to raise funds for the hospital's charity.
Louann explained: "We chose to raise money for the Marsden because they were just absolutely incredible, from the doctors to the nurses, the receptionists. They were just so kind and so wonderful – when you go in you just feel that you're in the right hands."
She said the hospital was particularly impressive in the way they tailored their care for her, and then for her son. "They were just fantastic for myself and then for Marcus. The great thing was that they could provide the right kind of care for youngsters.
"They have completely different worries to older people when it comes to cancer, things like 'how am I going to get a girlfriend'?".
The family, who live in Benham Close, settled in Coulsdon 11 years ago after George and Louann moved to the UK from South Africa in the late 1980s.
Marcus, who works as a hotel cocktail barman, is now planning to move back home with his girlfriend so the couple can save money to emigrate to Canada.
Though Marcus is a newcomer to the race, dad George will be able to offer plenty of advice, since he's taking part for the ninth time.
To back the Heales' fundraising efforts, visit https://www.justgiving.com/George-Heale-London-2015/
