A man diagnosed with a blood cancer in his 20s, and told he may only have three days to live, has run a half marathon while undergoing treatment.
Callum Stroud, 29, from Kent, took part in this year's Royal Parks Half Marathon three years after being told he had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL).
Diagnosed at 26 years old in 2022, Mr Stroud said he had never expected to have such a serious illness at that age.
He had been feeling unwell for a month before his diagnosis but was stunned when doctors warned him he may only have days to live without treatment.
"Getting the news that you might not be here in a matter of days was terrifying to say the least, and a moment which I still have flashbacks about even now," he said.
He was rushed to University College Hospital London, where he received immediate treatment at an emergency cancer centre.
Months of chemotherapy and immunotherapy followed the initial care.
After two relapses in 2023, he was approved for Car-T Cell therapy in March 2024, a special kind of immunotherapy that uses a patient's own T-cells to recognise and attack cancerous cells.
Since July last year, Mr Stroud has been on a maintenance programme which includes chemotherapy tablets, as well as intravenous chemotherapy and injections straight into his spinal fluid every six weeks.
Treatment is set to continue for another two years.
"This whole process has been agonising, especially experiencing it in your 20s where you're supposed to be at the peak of your health, and planning your life ahead of you," Mr Stroud said.
He added: "All of those plans go out of the window. Somehow you have to find a way to navigate everything whilst still trying to live your life and pay your bills."
Mr Stroud had to leave his engineering job, which was physically demanding, because of his treatment.
He has since retrained in marketing and works for a company called Publicis Groupe, which has a working with cancer policy that supports employees with serious illnesses.
Mr Stroud signed up for the Royal Parks Half Marathon after seeing an advert on the Tube early this year.
A lot of people have called me crazy for doing this race
Training for race day while receiving treatment was "challenging" but he said: "I've found it gives me a lot of benefits mentally and physically to deal with my situation."
"My younger brother ran the London Marathon while I was receiving Car-T Therapy, and that gave me some inspiration to take on the half marathon."
He added: “A lot of people have called me crazy for doing this race. Even my consultant said he’s never seen someone at my stage of treatment do something like this.
“In my crazy mind this only made me want to achieve this goal even more.”
Supported by Macmillan Cancer Support throughout the last three years of his life, Mr Stroud said he hoped his decision to run the Royal Parks Half would “inspire people who are struggling not to give up and to keep fighting”.
He completed the race in two hours, eight minutes and 48 seconds.