Last July, aged just 23, Andrew Haworth was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease, but within four months of finishing his treatment, he crossed the finish line of the Great North Run in celebration of his recovery.

In doing so, he and his girlfriend Rachel Lonsdale, who also completed the run, raised £800 for the hospital and unit that had treated him so well.

Andrew, of Venables Avenue, was looked after by staff in the specialist Haematology and Oncology Day Unit at Airedale NHS Trust. He speaks of his illness only in positive terms and said: "It was long flu – that was all."

His mum, Yvonne Crankshaw, went through a very different journey, though. She said: "It was the worst year of my life. It was me who was devastated, not him. He has just kept the same really positive attitude - it must be because of his age. We were just so shocked because he is so young, has never smoked and is a keep fit fanatic."

Andrew had a lump on his jaw that he kept dismissing as not a real problem as he had no other symptoms, then a series of comments led him to take his mum's advice and get it checked out.

"My mum and I were looking at my graduation photo and my jaw just didn't look right. I then went to Germany on a course with work and was returning a day earlier than planned. My German colleague said 'Are you going home early to see a dentist?'. It clicked then that there must be something wrong and it wasn't just an ordinary lump.

Checked
"I came home and checked it out on the internet and that's when we decided to come to Airedale to be seen by a specialist consultant," said Andrew.

Andrew was seen by Dr Prabu, consultant haematologist and his team at Airedale Hospital, and was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease which had spread to the lymph nodes in his armpit and on to his chest. He had to have the lymph nodes under his jaw and armpit removed in two separate operations and then started his chemotherapy treatment once every four weeks to ensure the cancer had gone.

His mum said: "I am so proud of him for what he has gone through – he has only had six days off work during his entire treatment. He is an avid Burnley and England supporter and the day after his first treatment he went to Wembley to watch England play."

Andrew explained his attitude to cancer: "My mum still had the 'C' word mentality, which I just didn't have – 34 years ago Hodgkins disease was almost untreatable but now there have been major advances – I just thought of it as a long flu."

While Andrew was receiving treatment on the unit, he heard staff talking about how donations helped them buy extra equipment and items for the unit. He decided he would do the 13-mile Great North Run and raise money for the unit.

"My brother is a fitness instructor and had done it the year before along with my girlfriend's mum so I started my training for it straight away after my treatment had finished," he said.

Andrew crossed the finish line last month in an excellent time of 1 hour 54 minutes.

He added: "I wanted to put everything I had into the race and cross the line with nothing left in the tank – it took me a few yards to stop!"
Andrew raised £800 as a result of his run, with contributions from his Earby doctor's surgery, employer and friends and family.

Sister Maxine Armitage from HODU, Airedale NHS Trust, said: "We are so pleased that Andrew has done so well. He has had a remarkable attitude and we are very grateful for this fantastic donation. He is an example to us all."

His mum added: "The treatment he has had at Airedale has been tremendous and the nursing care is second to none. We can't thank them enough.

"It is so important to get these things checked out and we would tell other young people to do the same even if they don't have any symptoms."