Harry Graham is a man on a mission. On 23 April, Harry, an L1 Operator at LIBERTY Merchant Bar Scunthorpe will be running his first marathon at the London Marathon to raise money and awareness for Kidney Research UK.

The cause is one that is close to his heart, as Harry lost his mother to kidney failure when he was just 9 years old. Now, 19 years later, he hopes to “cross the Finish Line with her” and honour her memory while also supporting the fight against kidney disease.

Kidney cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in the world, with over 430,000 new cases diagnosed each year. According to the World Cancer Research Fund, kidney cancer is the 12th most common cancer in the world, accounting for around 2% of all new cancer cases. In the UK alone, around 12,000 people are diagnosed with kidney cancer each year.

For Harry, the cause is deeply personal. He spent much of his childhood in and out of hospital with his mother, who was suffering from kidney failure. Despite their efforts, they lost her while on a family trip to Lapland in 2004. Now, Harry is determined to do what he can to prevent others from experiencing the same pain of losing a loved on.

I am running the London Marathon to raise as much money as possible so that others don’t have to experience the pain that was felt by me and my family,” Harry explains. “Kidney Research is a cause very close to mine and my family’s heart, and I hope to make a real difference through my fundraising efforts.

Harry has been training hard for the marathon, which will be his first. He began with frequent but small runs to get his body accustomed to exercise, gradually increasing his distance each week. His longest run to date has been 23 miles, which has given him the confidence that he can complete the full marathon. On weekends, he completes longer runs of 15 or more miles to build his endurance.

For Harry, running the London Marathon is about much more than just finishing the race. It’s about honouring his mother’s memory and helping to make a real difference in the fight against kidney disease.

I hope that through my efforts, I can help raise awareness of kidney disease and the importance of research in finding a cure,” Harry says. “My mother may be gone, but I know that she would be proud of the work that I am doing to help others. And when I cross that Finish Line, I will be crossing it with her in my heart.

If you’d like to support Harry’s fundraising efforts for Kidney Research UK, you can donate via his fundraising page or take the online Kidney Health Check provided by Kidney Research UK to help raise awareness about kidney disease.

London Marathon highlights

Since the first event in 1981, the London Marathon has continued to grow each year. Event highlights include: 

• More than one million finishers since 1981, with the millionth finisher crossing the line in 2016
• The largest annual one-day fundraising event in the world, with the total raised for charities in the history of the event surpassing £1 billion in 2019
• Seven world records broken in the history of the event, including Paula Radcliffe’s historic time of 2:15:25 in 2003

• Marathon: 29 March 1981 (first wheelchair race: 1983)
  
• Length of course: 26.2 miles; 42.195K