{"id":94636,"date":"2023-10-13T11:25:10","date_gmt":"2023-10-13T11:25:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stopsmokingway.com\/?p=94636"},"modified":"2023-10-13T11:25:10","modified_gmt":"2023-10-13T11:25:10","slug":"six-nations-chiefs-fundraiser-for-cancer-treatment-closes-in-on-1m","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stopsmokingway.com\/rugby\/six-nations-chiefs-fundraiser-for-cancer-treatment-closes-in-on-1m\/","title":{"rendered":"Six Nations chief&apos;s fundraiser for cancer treatment closes in on \u00a31M"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Six Nations chief Craig Maxwell&#8217;s fundraiser for treatment closes in on \u00a31MILLION raised &#8211; as he smashes his initial \u00a3300,000 target after being diagnosed with terminal stage four cancer last year<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Craig Maxwell was diagnosed with a form of lung cancer in September last year<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>The 41-year-old has smashed his fundrasing target of \u00a3300,000 and nears \u00a31m\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>To donate to Craig Maxwell\u2019s funding for The QuicDNA Project and Velindre Cancer Centre, visit: https:\/\/craigmaxwell-quicdna.justgiving-sites.com\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Six Nations and former Welsh Rugby Union commercial chief Craig Maxwell\u2019s astonishing fundraising for cancer treatment is now close to the \u00a31million mark.<\/p>\n<p>Last September, Maxwell was diagnosed with terminal stage four lung and bone cancer but refused to give in and took on a series of heroic fitness challenges to support those suffering with the disease.<\/p>\n<p>Maxwell\u2019s fundraising for the QuicDNA Project \u2013 which is being run with the support of Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff \u2013 aims to speed up the time it takes for lung cancer patients to be diagnosed in Wales.<\/p>\n<p>After initially setting a fundraising target of \u00a3300,000, Maxwell has smashed through that barrier to reach \u00a3420,000 as things stand and an incredible donation of \u00a3500,000 means he is approaching \u00a31m.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018As part of my fundraising challenges, I\u2019ve spent time with Diane Engelhardt who founded the Moondance Foundation with her husband Henry,\u2019 Maxwell said.\u2018<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/13\/09\/76512315-12626803-image-m-40_1697187442849.jpg\" height=\"639\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Last September, Maxwell was diagnosed with terminal stage four lung and bone cancer but refused to give in<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/13\/09\/73550665-12626803-The_riders_all_posed_for_a_photo_before_setting_off_on_their_cha-a-3_1697185968694.jpg\" height=\"414\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Maxwell and &#8217;35 of his mates&#8217; posed for a photo before setting off on a charity bike ride in July<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/13\/09\/73726281-12626803-The_41_year_old_who_was_diagnosed_with_a_form_of_lung_cancer_las-a-9_1697186153015.jpg\" height=\"357\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>The 41-year-old, who was diagnosed with a form of lung cancer last September, reached the French capital alongside after raising close to \u00a3350,000<\/p>\n<p>As part of Velindre\u2019s fundraising efforts, we cycled from Paris to Bordeaux together for Wales\u2019 first World Cup match with\u00a0Fiji.\u00a0Diane and Moondance wanted to support my campaign.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018They recognised the ambition I have to create a legacy for my family by implementing a long-term charity programme to support the fight against cancer in Wales. Moondance Foundation are already leading the way in this area, in part through the creation of Moondance Cancer Initiative.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018It is truly amazing that Moondance have offered to be the founding donator of \u00a3500,000. It will enable us to create what we plan to call \u201cThe Maxwell Genomics Fund\u201d which will aim to raise vital funds to support the research and development of Genomics cancer testing in Wales.\u2018<\/p>\n<p>It took 72 days from me first going to hospital to be told I had terminal cancer and I want to help ensure others don\u2019t have to wait as long. We want the fund to have a long-term impact.\u2018<\/p>\n<p>The donation from the Moondance Foundation will allow us to launch the fund and once we have hit the \u00a3500,000 fundraising mark for QuicDNA \u2013 which the Moondance Cancer initiative was a contributing partner to \u2013 we will turn our attention to the new programme.\u2018<\/p>\n<p>My wife Tracey will be involved, helping to identify and award future funding to genomics projects in Wales with support from Velindre, Moondance and Genomics Wales.\u2018<\/p>\n<p>The ambition is for our children Isla and Zach to get involved once they turn 18, keeping my legacy and name alive and also bringing my family and friends together for a cause that means so much to me. My hope is my premature time will leave a longer legacy.\u2018<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/13\/09\/73726613-12626803-Maxwell_s_fundraising_efforts_have_now_taken_the_total_raised_to-a-7_1697186142246.jpg\" height=\"385\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Maxwell&#8217;s fundraising efforts have now taken the total raised to close to the \u00a31m mark\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>After receiving my diagnosis it was my dream I could continue to help other families long after I\u2019m gone. I wanted to show my children that even when you receive the worst possible news, it\u2019s important not to give up and fight.\u2018<\/p>\n<p>Hopefully, my children will see this is a positive influence in the years to come. I\u2019m so thankful to Diane and everyone who has supported my fundraising, but we don\u2019t intend to stop now.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>In 2023 so far, Maxwell has already ran the London Marathon and completed bike rides from Cardiff to Tenby, Cardiff to Paris, and from Paris to Bordeaux.<\/p>\n<p>His ongoing treatments meant he was unable to take part in the IRONMAN in his hometown of Tenby and a mountain trek in Morocco. But that doesn\u2019t mean he will be stopped.<\/p>\n<p>Diane Engelhardt, founder and chairperson of the Moondance Foundation said: \u2018Craig\u2019s resilience in the face of this disease is inspirational.\u2018 His commitment to leave this world a better place for others is the epitome of generosity.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Consultant oncologist at Velindre and national clinical director of cancer for Wales Professor Tom Crosby said: \u2018The money raised and the challenges undertaken have been inspirational.\u2018<\/p>\n<p>This will make a huge difference to improving faster diagnosis and treatment and ultimately improving cancer patient outcomes in Wales.\u2019 Maxwell added: \u2018Apparently lung cancer and altitude at the top of a mountain in Morocco don\u2019t mix!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/13\/09\/76512353-12626803-image-a-41_1697187581724.jpg\" height=\"476\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>As well as his bike ride, Craig Maxwell also completed the London Marathon earlier this year<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/13\/09\/73550613-12626803-Craig_Maxwell_pictured_began_his_charity_bike_ride_from_Cardiff_-a-10_1697186210769.jpg\" height=\"381\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Maxwell said he intends to complete a triathlon &#8216;in more friendly conditions&#8217; in December<span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>\u2018I\u2019m still planning on doing a triathlon in more friendly conditions in December and this Friday, I\u2019ll be joined by 25 friends as we take on the hardest hiking challenge in Wales, the Welsh 3000s.\u2018<\/p>\n<p>We will be looking to scale all of the country\u2019s 15 biggest peaks in 24 hours. All the peaks are over 3,000 feet. It\u2019s a total of 36 miles and 4,000 metres in climbing.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We\u2019re starting at 10pm on Friday night and aim to finish at 10pm on Saturday and in between we\u2019ll try and get some mobile signal to watch Wales\u2019 quarter-final with Argentina as well!\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Welsh rugby legend Jonathan Davies, who is president of Velindre fundraising, said: \u2018Having cycled with Craig and listened to him speaking with fundraisers in Wales, I have seen at first-hand how he is able to motivate people, public and professionals to go the extra mile and deliver the best possible cancer support and treatments.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>I will do everything I can to ensure the money Craig raises goes to improve patient outcomes and experience of cancer care in Wales.\u2019<\/p>\n<p><span><span>To support Craig Maxwell\u2019s fundraising campaign go to <\/span><span>https:\/\/craigmaxwell-quicdna.justgiving-sites.com<\/span><span>\/<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/rugbyunion\/article-12626803\/Six-Nations-chief-Craig-Maxwells-fundraiser-treatment-closes-1MILLION-raised-smashes-initial-300-000-target-diagnosed-terminal-stage-four-cancer-year.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Six Nations chief Craig Maxwell&#8217;s fundraiser for treatment closes in on \u00a31MILLION raised &#8211; as he smashes his initial \u00a3300,000<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Six Nations chief&amp;apos;s fundraiser for cancer treatment closes in on \u00a31M - stopsmokingway<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/stopsmokingway.com\/rugby\/six-nations-chiefs-fundraiser-for-cancer-treatment-closes-in-on-1m\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Six Nations chief&amp;apos;s fundraiser for cancer treatment closes in on \u00a31M - stopsmokingway\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Six Nations chief Craig Maxwell&#8217;s fundraiser for treatment closes in on \u00a31MILLION raised &#8211; 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