Son to run 15km in Leicester after father has rare tumour removed

Arjan is raising money for the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital charity that helped with his father's recovery.

A man is preparing for a 15km charity run after his father had a rare tumour the size of a rugby ball removed from near his spine.

Arjan Dayal, 18, will take on the fundraising challenge at Victoria Park in Leicester on 1 August.

His father, Hardip Dayal, was diagnosed with a Solitary Fibrous Tumour in 2019 and again in January this year.

Arjan is raising money for the hospital charity that helped with his father's recovery.

Hardip, 45, was diagnosed with a Solitary Fibrous Tumour in February 2019.

The rare type of tumour, which can form in almost any part of the body, was near his spine and was roughly the size of a rugby ball.

He was referred to the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH) in Stanmore, London, for surgery to remove it and underwent six months of MRI scans.

Then in January a scan picked up another tumour in his vertebral column.

'Gaining strength'

In April he underwent a 16-hour operation to remove the second tumour and reconstruct his vertebrae.

"Dad has really been though it the last few years with his health," said Arjan.

"He is still making his recovery and is gaining strength every day, however there is a risk full mobility, sensation and strength won't return, we will just have to wait and see how he goes."

Arjan was so impressed by the facilities at the RNOH he decided to try raising £1,000 towards for its charity.

He said he was "excited" to be taking part in his sponsored run.

"I keep myself quite fit in general but for this I have had to train a bit more because I've never ran 15km straight," he said.

He added he hoped his father would be able to join other family members and friends in watching some of his effort.