Hailsham cancer patient says ‘anything is possible’ as he continues to run through treatment

Marcos Jarvis was diagnosed with secondary stage four liver cancer in October 2019 after suffering with stomach pains and going back and forth to the doctor. He said doctors haven’t been able to find the primary cause but are presuming pancreatic cancer. Only five months before diagnosis Marcos had completed a marathon.

The pain didn’t stop Marcos from running though and he continued to live his life with his wife Hannah and four-year-old son Archie.

Marcos says, “When I was first diagnosed obviously it was a massive shock. Very hard to deal with. You feel like your whole future has been taken away from you.

“Once it had sunk in a bit, I started researching and trying to turn my mindset around. I hope that by sharing my story, I will inspire others and help them realise that you don’t have to stop living your life because of cancer.”

In November 2019 Marcos started chemotherapy, something he said ‘really hit hard’.

He said, “It was then that I made the decision to do everything and anything I could to look after my body and mind to get me through the rigours of treatment. I took up tai chi, which I now practise every morning – this is really great for meditation and to clear my mind.”

Marcos, who had to give up running his own building company due to the cancer, changed to a vegan diet and cut out all processed food and sugars.

His exercise levels decreased at first, but then he said he read an article that looked at how beneficial exercising can be during cancer treatment.

Marcos said, “I started off slowly, and built up gradually. I had to do laps of the garden whilst shielding during lockdown but I now go a little further afield.

“I find that running helps so much, mentally and physically. Over time, my strength has increased and I’ve even found that going for a run helps ease the side-effects of chemotherapy. As my training increased I felt ready to sign up for a race and one of my proudest moments of last year was crossing the finish line of a duathlon the day after treatment. Anything is possible.”

Marcos is still going through chemotherapy at the moment, he’s had 26 rounds of it and there is no end date. He said it will continue until it stops working, and then medics will look for other options.

“As for what’s next for me, I am setting myself monthly challenges. Partly to help my fitness and also to get through shielding. February was the 100 miles and in March I’ll think of another challenge to do.

“I’ve always had a pretty good outlook on life, but it is important especially now, to think that there is nothing I can’t do. My chemo is ongoing, but every scan I have had so far shows that the tumours are shrinking and I am going to win this battle.”

This month Marcos is raising money for the WOLO - We Only Live Once - Foundation which supports families in Sussex on their cancer journey.

To donate you can find his daily updates here: https://www.facebook.com/donate/904215936988196/