A 67-year-old Bedford father will jump from an aeroplane alongside his three children to raise funds for Cancer Research UK after recovering from throat cancer.
Due to take place tomorrow (Saturday), Alex Beazleigh will take on the skydiving challenge at Sibson Airfield in Wansford.
Early diagnosis
After discovering an unusual lump in his neck in February 2023, Alex sought immediate medical attention from his GP, who then referred him for specialist testing.
The following month, on the day before his birthday, Bedford Hospital staff confirmed that the cancer had spread from the base of his tongue to the lymph nodes in his neck.
Alex was subsequently referred to the Mount Vernon Cancer Treatment Centre, where he underwent 30 sessions of radiotherapy and two sessions of intravenous chemotherapy, requiring a liquid diet through a stomach tube for three months.
Rebuilding life
The treatment caused a 30 per cent loss of body weight, along with changes to his taste buds and voice.
Despite experiencing severe side effects, he maintained a “get on with it outlook” while working to regain weight and rebuild his physical strength.
Alex credited consultant Mr Patel at Bedford Hospital and the care team at Mount Vernon for supporting his recovery.
Having left his position at the Open University after 24 years, he now spends his time tutoring vulnerable home-schooled students and teaching inside prisons
He tells the Bedford Independent that he is also happy to offer anyone going through the same experience a friendly ear.
“There can be a really positive outcome for cancer sufferers,” says Alex, “But support from people who know what it’s like to go through a cancer diagnosis and treatment makes all the difference.”
Skydiving appeal
His adult children, Jack, 24, Freddie, 21, and Molly, 17, will take a tandem jump alongside him to support both their father and health service staff.
He urged local people, “especially men”, to “get themselves checked out if they ever find something unusual about their body” to ensure early detection.
“I am now cancer-free, but am being reviewed every six months until 2018. I was always quite fit; I went to the gym, played tennis, golf, and swam, and I am totally convinced this helped my fight against my cancer.
However, he has called for the NHS to offer PETSCAN’s, which check your whole body, bones and soft tissue, for signs of cancer.
“Unfortunately, I had absolutely no symptoms apart from one lump showing in my neck, so the review is not really looking at anything other than the area where my primary cancer started, the base of the tongue.”
Reflecting on what he’s been through, Alex said that “a full and rewarding life after catching it” remains possible, adding that the health service is “something to be proud of, and should be supported to the maximum”.
You can sponsor Alex’s skydive on his GoFundMe page.
If you are affected by this story or would like to talk to Alex about how cancer is affecting you, you can email him here.
