At 6'4 Phil never fitted naturally into any of the tiny cottages my parents lived in but he did fit rather neatly into our family. He had a quick, dry wit, intelligence and great generosity. As a teenager he was the cool guy dating my older sister and we all liked and admired him.
He loved sport, music, comedy and although he only took up running late in life he managed to smash out all of the world's major marathons along with a marathon on every continent before he was 50; spending time among penguins on Antarctica and visiting owl cafes in Japan along the way.
Unfortunately Phil was diagnosed with cancer two years ago. It had already spread to his liver and lungs and Phil died on April 23rd.
'We Get It' provided him with a system for support through his illness and an outlet to talk about the darkest sides of it. Despite lockdown, the group were able to continue to communicate online and we would like to honour his memory by giving something back to 'We Get It'.
Throughout May, we're aiming to run/walk/cycle 100km each with a target of 600km for the whole family. I know that Phil would be amused that the littlest legs in the Newman family will take at least twice as many strides to achieve this as him.
I hope that you'll provide us with some support and contribute generously towards this worthwhile cause.