DESPITE undergoing major cancer surgery, a heart bypass, and losing a leg in a car accident, Paul Hogan is determined to pay back the hospitals which ‘put him back together’.

He will take part in the three-mile It’s Not Just a Walk in the Park challenge around Oxford University Parks, on Sunday, October 17, for the Oxford Heart Centre and the Oxford Cancer Centre.

Just weeks ago, Mr Hogan, 61, underwent surgery for throat cancer at the Churchill Hospital in Headington.

It is not the first time the grandfather-of-four, from Tubney, near Abingdon, has been treated at Oxfordshire hospitals.

In 1965, Mr Hogan was involved in a serious car accident and had to have a leg amputated at the old Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford.

Then in 1995, after a heart attack, he underwent heart bypass surgery at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital.

Mr Hogan: “Three miles to most people will seem like nothing, but to me it is a real challenge, and if I get all the way round it will feel like an amazing milestone.

“Taking part in this event – and raising some money along the way – is a great chance to say a proper thank-you to all the medical staff who have helped me.”

He said he hopes the walk will help him get fit again and is trying hard to put weight on before the day.

He said: “I can’t just sit at home watching TV and feeling sorry for myself.

“I am a fighter – it’s the only thing I know.

“Despite everything that has happened to me, I feel lucky to live so close to both these centres of medical excellence and to have benefited from the expertise of the medical teams.

“I know that fundraising events like this are important as they raise money to help provide the very best equipment and facilities for our local hospitals, and I hope people will think that if I can do it they can do it too.”

Last year, the walk raised £36,000 for the two centres, helping to buy the medical equipment that goes above and beyond what the NHS provides.

Sarah Vaccari, communications manager at Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Charitable Funds, said: “Paul is a real inspiration.

“When you are in the midst of such a difficult time, to be able to see beyond that and want to do something positive that will help other people is really admirable.

“We really hope Paul’s story will inspire others to join the event.”

This year’s event is also raising money to support breast cancer screening and the head and neck cancer department.

Entry for the walk is £7.50 and children go free. Entrants are asked to raise a minimum £50 in sponsorship.

  • For information about the event, call 01865 743444 or see the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Charities website.