Every Monday from now until the London marathon, we'll be sharing the story of one of the amazing team of people running for Anthony Nolan. With just one month to go, here's our first inspiring runner - Josh Usher.
Josh Usher, 27, Managing Director at Sky Satellites from Bedford, is taking on the 2015 Virgin Money London Marathon for us to mark the six year anniversary of his brother’s death.
Josh’s younger brother Ben passed away in April 2009 in Addenbrooks Hospital, after a short battle with a condition similar to Aplastic Anaemia, which meant his blood did not produce any white blood cells.
A bone marrow transplant could potentially have saved Ben’s life, but tragically he died before a matching donor could be found. This has inspired Josh to raise money so that we can more lifesavers to our register of potential donors.
Josh's brother Ben
Josh says: ‘Me and Ben were very close as brothers - we did a lot together. We used to play lawn bowls, golf, football and went out clubbing. On the Christmas Day before he was diagnosed, Ben seemed fine. He was playing on his new Nintendo wii with my dad and his girlfriend.’
Just one day later, on Boxing Day 2008, Ben was taken ill and a series of tests led to him being diagnosed with the condition. ‘The whole ordeal seemed to flash by,’ said Josh.
Ben’s family was told he needed a bone marrow transplant and, as Josh and their other brother Jamie was not a match, doctors would need to find a selfless stranger on our register. Sadly, Ben died before a match could be found, when he was only 19 years old.
A family photo with Ben on the far right
Josh says: ‘I never believed that Ben would pass away, he was always a fighter and very strong willed. I was hopeful that me or my older brother Jamie would be a match but we weren’t.
We also hoped that they would find an Anthony Nolan donor but Ben’s health deteriorated so quickly they couldn’t find a match quick enough.’
The six year anniversary of Ben’s passing is coming up in April, so Josh decided to run the London Marathon 2015 in memory of his brother. Josh is hoping to use the opportunity to raise funds and awareness for Anthony Nolan.
Josh says, ‘The London marathon just stood out for me as it’s always around Ben’s anniversary and, in my eyes, the most prestigious marathon in the UK. I’ve struggled for many years to come to terms with losing Ben, but now the time seems right I want to give something back”
‘The reason I wanted to run the marathon is to raise awareness. If I can run 26.2 miles, then anyone can join the bone marrow register and possibly save a life.
‘If I can also raise some money to help another family in a similar position then all the hard work and training will be worth it.’
Josh is now training hard for the gruelling race, and will be thinking of Ben the whole way round.
‘Everyone who knows me knows I am not the fittest person, so this will be a challenge in itself for me but I am sure Ben will be pushing me on through out the race.’
To donate to Josh’s fundraising page go to https://www.justgiving.com/joshua-usher/
Inspired by Josh's story? Join our team of volunteers and cheer on our amazing runners on the 26th April - sign up here.