Cancer fight inspired Nancy into triathlon

Nancy Skinner, aged 41, was among hundreds of sporty men and women who took on the challenge of the London Triathlon.

She battled through a muddy dock to complete a 750 metre swim, then did a 12 mile cycling race and a five kilometre run to complete the challenge.

The mum of one's involvement was inspired by friend Dan Porter, 34, who needed surgery two years ago after developing a rare cancer behind his eye.

Nancy, a personal trainer from Ecclesall Road, was not feeling confident about the swim so she took lessons in front crawl to take part. And although the swim was far from easy she enjoyed the challenge and supporting Dan.

"I could only do a width of front crawl before but you learn to do it. I had more confidence in the bike and being upright," said Nancy. I felt elated at the end."

The triathlon raised 1,000 for Weston Park Hospital in sponsorship.

Nancy and Dan, from Millhouses, went to Weston Park Hospital to hand over the cash.

"I was really touched that Nancy did it for me," said Dan, who became a dad for the second time when son Ben was born in August.

"A lot of people have been very supportive and so many people have worked hard to raise money."

Dan was diagnosed with cancer just weeks after his partner Kerry gave birth to their first son Joe.

Dan's operation at the Royal Hallamshire took 20 hours and resulted in the loss of his eye, part of his upper palate and the extraction of most of the nerves from the right side of his face. This was followed by a six week course of radiotherapy at Weston Park.

But his gratitude and admiration for the hospital staff throughout his battle saw him organising fundraising events including a rugby match which featured stars such as former England captain Martin Johnson.

Friends at Sheffield Hallam University where Dan works as Sports Service Manager also produced a charity calendar to boost funds.

Overall fundraisers have netted 26,000 for Weston Park Hospital and for Neurocare which is raising funds for three state-of-the-art scanners for the Royal Hallamshire Hospital and Sheffield Children's Hospital.

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