CANCER survivor, Eddie Cain, will be following in both his father and brother's footsteps when he takes part in the London Marathon this month. The only difference is that he will be wearing snow shoes instead of trainers.

The 33-year-old from St Ives in Ringwood, is raising money for the charity Beating Bowel Cancer, a cause close to his heart.

For Eddie was diagnosed with the disease at the beginning of October 2013 after being rushed to hospital in need of an emergency blood transfusion due to internal bleeding caused by a 10cm tumour on his colon.

At the end of last year, after ten rounds of chemotherapy and major surgery, his latest scan was clear.

During 2014 Eddie also became a dad. He discovered his wife Claire was pregnant a week before his diagnosis and his first child, Fraser, was born on May 21 last year - just six days after surgery to remove the tumour.

Eddie said: “I’ve had so much support from my family and friends, as well as from Beating Bowel Cancer, and I feel like it’s my turn now to give something back. I thought the harder and dafter the challenge, the more people would be likely to sponsor me. I had a few blisters at the beginning, but my feet are OK now."

Graham Kelly, director of fundraising at Beating Bowel Cancer, said: “We’re very grateful for Eddie’s support and fundraising efforts, which will help the charity continue to help more patients. The marathon is a huge commitment to undertake in normal circumstances but I can’t imagine how hard it will be to do it with snow shoes on! We wish Eddie the best of luck for the challenge and we’ll be cheering him on from the side-lines.”

Bowel cancer is the UK’s second biggest cancer killer. Each year around 41,000 people are diagnosed with the disease, but if caught early, more than 90 per cent of cases can be treated successfully.

To donate, please visit justgiving.com/Edward-Cain