Johnny Ratcliffe, 45, has [set himself the target of raising £20,000](https://www.justgiving.com/team/johnnys) to help Melanoma Focus, which research treatments and campaign for melanoma patients.
The funds will also go to the Down Syndrome Training and Support Service, a Bingley-based charity which has helped Johnny and wife Melissa’s son, Leo.
Johnny, from Menston, was diagnosed with anorectal mucosal melanoma two years ago and has sadly been told his condition is terminal.
He has undergone eight complex operations as well as two courses of gruelling immunotherapy, and says he felt compelled to complete one last challenge to support his family “while he still can”.
He and Melissa, 43, are walking 15 miles from St James’s Hospital in Leeds to the Down Syndrome Support headquarters in Bingley.
The walk, on Friday March 21, will see Johnny having to be pushed in a specially adapted wheelchair for parts of the route due to his declining health.
Johnny said: “I’ve been battling this incurable cancer for two years now, and I’ve tried everything, but sadly there isn’t a cure for mucosal melanoma.
“It's important that even if there isn't a treatment for me, there is for future generations - Melanoma Focus is campaigning for just that.”
Johnny, a local business owner who attended Ilkley Grammar School, is acutely aware of the difficulties his wife will face bringing up three young children without him, particularly since Leo has significant special needs.
Johnny and Leo
He hopes the funds he will raise from this event will mean the local charity will be able to continue the vital support they currently provide to the family.
Johnny and Melissa aim to set off from St James’s Hospital, where Johnny has undergone treatment for his cancer, at 9.30am on Friday, March 21, which is World Down Syndrome Day and hope to arrive at the Down Syndrome Training and Support Service offices on Whitley Street, Bingley later in the day.
The Down Syndrome Training and Support Service offers support and a wide range of training for all parents and professionals working and caring for children with Down Syndrome. They currently support over 420 families and 200 organisations across health, education and social care.
Melanoma Focus is a national charity dedicated to providing help and support to melanoma patients and professionals as well as raising awareness of melanoma, the fifth most common cancer in the UK.
For more information and to donate online, please visit: https://www.justgiving.com/team/johnnys