A woman from St Albans is running a half-marathon for the cancer centre which looked after her dad before his death.
Lisa Duncan, 44, is raising money for Mount Vernon Cancer Centre in Northwood in honour of her dad, Roger Milton, who died in November 2006 at the age of 60
Roger attended Hatfield Polytechnic, now the University of Hertfordshire, and worked in St Albans all his life as a carpenter and joiner. As a child Lisa, who attended Beaumont School, lived in Folly Avenue and Ashley Road.
She now lives in Welwyn Garden City with her husband Mick, and has a 25-year-old daughter named Kayleigh.
Lisa said of her father: “He was diagnosed in 2005 with bowel cancer that had spread to his liver.
“He was amazing, very selfless. His attitude was if anyone in our family had to get cancer he would rather it was him. He never complained and he never once said ‘Why me?’
“I’ll never stop missing him and a day doesn’t go by when I don’t think of him. Time doesn’t heal, you just learn to live with it.
Roger took a trial drug which reduced the tumour in his liver, although another tumour grew around it.
Lisa said: “I stayed at the hospital for some time after he passed away and one particular nurse was an angel in my eyes. I went back on the anniversary and took her some flowers.
“They really are angels, I don’t know how they do that job.”
Since Roger’s death, a great grandson has been born and he is also survived by his wife Maureen and stepchildren Matthew and Marianne.
Lisa, who works as an Environment Agency officer, will be running the Cambridge Half Marathon on March 5, and hopes to raise at least £1,000. She has completed 5k and 10k runs, and has been preparing by going on long runs with a friend every Sunday, joining a ladies’ running group, and taking part in free Parkrun 5k runs.
She said: “I’m now up to 11 miles which is something I never dreamed I would be able to do. It’s going to be a huge achievement to actually run 13-odd miles. If my dad could go through all the hours of chemotherapy this is the least I could do.
“I am so grateful that he met my step mum and I’m very very proud he was my dad.”
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