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Dan does it for Kidney Research
Last weekend, Dan Cherry successfully completed the Cardiff Half Marathon – the first leg in his build-up towards running the London Marathon next Spring and raising further vital funds for Kidney Wales, which has been Glamorgan's official charity for 2008.
There is a very special and personal reason why the 28 year-old, formerly a Cresselly cricketer, who is now a vital member of Glamorgan Cricket's Operations Department, has been raising funds for Kidney Wales and raising the awareness of organ donation, as his younger brother Ben was taken ill last December and was subsequently found to require a transplant.
Running for Ben
"Ben was fit and healthy before being rushed to Morriston Hospital two days before my wedding," said the former Glamorgan opening batsman. "Unfortunately, Ben had to stay in hospital over my wedding, and we had to go ahead without him being there. Naturally, everyone was really worried because we didn't know at the time why he was ill. After a series of tests, the doctors found out that his problems stemmed back to a renal condition from his childhood."
"Ben is OK now, but he is on dialysis and is now awaiting a donor and a match for the transplant. I thought that doing this was the best way to help my brother to also to give something back, especially raising the awareness of this very important cause."
"Running in the London Marathon is a massive challenge as I have never done anything like this before. I really enjoyed running the Cardiff Half-Marathon and was delighted with my time of 1 hour, 39 minutes and 40 seconds. I had set myself a target of completing the thirteen-mile course in an hour and three-quarters, so to achieve that - and to do it with six minutes to spare, was great."
Interesting run
"The course around Cardiff was fairly level, and it was interesting to run past so many of the city's landmarks, including the SWALEC Stadium where I now work. It was great as well to see lots of people cheering us on as I was one of many people running to raise funds for good causes."
"There were some other cricket people running as well, including Dave Kirtley – the captain of the Cardiff club - who ran the course in cricket kit. Somewhat ironically, the winner of the race was a Welsh athlete called Simon Jones! A lot of Glamorgan supporters have already pledged their support towards my fund-raising efforts, and I would just like to say many, many thanks to them as it is very much appreciated."
Dan is still looking for further support, and anyone wishing to make a donation can do so by visiting www.justgiving.com/dancherry1 . In addition, Dan will be providing over the course of the winter, a monthly update for the Glamorgan website on his progress as he prepares for the London Marathon on Sunday, April 26th.
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