Cardiff Cancer Survivor Urges City to Join Race for Life After Remarkable Recovery
Sheldon Donovan, a 34-year-old Cardiff man who has survived cancer, a cardiac arrest, and had to relearn how to walk, is going "all in" to support Cancer Research UK's Race for Life. Sheldon knows first-hand how vital life-saving research is, having been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma at just 24 years old.
A Decade of Health Battles and Resilience
Sheldon endured years of gruelling treatment, including two relapses and two stem cell transplants, before suffering a sudden cardiac arrest that left him in a coma for seven weeks. Now fighting fit and more than 18 stone lighter, he is urging people to take part in Race for Life Cardiff on Sunday, May 3 at Bute Park.
"It's thanks to research that I'm still here," said Sheldon. "Being asked to support Race for Life in Cardiff is an honour. Every single person who signs up helps give someone like me another chance at life. I'm all in against cancer – and I hope Cardiff will be too."
His journey began when he weighed 33 stone and had a persistent cough, initially suspected as pneumonia. After months of uncertainty, a lung biopsy confirmed Hodgkin lymphoma, with cancer found in his lung, spleen, and spine.
Treatment Setbacks and Triumphant Recovery
After six months of chemotherapy, Sheldon returned to work as a grocery store manager, but relapsed on Christmas Eve 2018. He received a stem cell transplant using his own cells, went into brief remission, then relapsed again in 2019. Further chemotherapy and radiotherapy preceded another stem cell transplant, with his only hope being a donor transplant from a match found in Germany.
In 2021, new symptoms led to hospital tests where he suffered a cardiac arrest from a severe infection. "I remember a nurse putting in a cannula – then nothing until I woke up seven weeks later in intensive care with a tracheotomy," Sheldon recalled. "I'd been on my back so long I had to learn to walk again."
By discharge, he weighed 27 stone. Determined to rebuild his life, he began running and eventually lost over 18 stone. "I'd always been a yoyo dieter but at my heaviest, I was 33 stone," he said. "After getting a second, third and then fourth chance at life, something clicked and I was determined to keep on losing the weight."
Inspiring Others Through Community Events
Now living back in his hometown of Whitchurch and working as a Morrison's store manager, Sheldon is encouraging colleagues and the public to join Race for Life. "I love running so I'm really chuffed to be supporting Race for Life Cardiff," he added. "I'd love to see as many people as possible taking part."
The event offers options for all ages and abilities:
- 3k, 5k, and 10k events on Sunday, May 3
- Pretty Muddy, a 5k mud-splattered obstacle course, on Saturday, May 2, with a Pretty Muddy Kids option
Ruth Amies, Cancer Research UK's spokesperson in Wales, commented: "It's time for Cardiff to go all in against cancer, all in to help fund life-saving research." "Sadly nearly one in two of us will get cancer in our lifetime but all of us can support the research that will beat it."
The Impact of Race for Life and Cancer Research
Every year, around 20,500 people are diagnosed with cancer in Wales. Race for Life raises millions for research annually, funding progress that has nearly doubled breast cancer survival in the UK over 50 years and proven the link between tobacco and cancer.
Since 1994, more than 10 million people have participated in Race for Life. The 10k events will be chip-timed for those seeking to track progress, but the race remains non-competitive, welcoming walkers, joggers, and runners of all paces.
"People can walk, jog or run and go at their own pace," said Amies. "What matters most is showing up together. There is a race for everyone and we mean everyone."
