An islander who turned to running after a life-changing cancer diagnosis has helped shine a spotlight on brain tumour support in the island, after hosting a successful community awareness event.
Ryan O’Shea organised the event at Les Quennevais Sports Centre on Saturday 11 April, bringing together 413 people to walk, jog and run in support of the Jersey Brain Tumour Charity.
The 27-year-old became an ambassador for the charity after being diagnosed with a Grade 1 diffuse astrocytoma in 2022 following more than six months of migraines and severe headaches.
Since then, he has received ongoing support from the charity, including counselling and peer ‘buddy meetings’.
Determined to give something back, he combined his personal journey with his passion for running to create the awareness event.
“I was given the opportunity to become an ambassador because of the work I do for them,” he explained.
“That’s why I wanted to do this awareness event, to give something back to the charity and make it an event for people to attend.”
The event was held in partnership with Jersey Parkrun, a community initiative Ryan has regularly taken part in since taking up running following his diagnosis.
“I do Parkruns every week pretty much, or as much as I can. Awareness events are a good one to do there at Parkrun,” he said.
“Since I’ve got my brain tumour, I started running. I used to be a cyclist, but since my brain tumour, I’ve taken up running.”
Reflecting on the day, he described the experience as both rewarding and uplifting.
“The community aspect is wonderful at Parkrun and it’s what motivates me to keep going back,” he said.
“I would like to thank everyone who attended and took time to learn a bit about the charity, Jersey Parkrun for allowing us the opportunity, and the Co-op for providing bananas to hand out.”
Jersey Brain Tumour Charity chair Sonia Le Clercq said the event provided a valuable platform to connect with islanders.
“This was a fantastic opportunity to share the work the charity does with those taking part,” she said.
“We had some amazing conversations and the opportunity definitely allowed us to raise the profile of the charity.”
Despite the challenges of his diagnosis, Ryan has continued to rebuild his routine, returning to full-time work and undergoing regular MRI scans every six months.
He has also embraced new personal goals, recently competing in the Guernsey Marathon where he achieved personal best times over 20km and 30km distances, cutting 15 minutes from his previous record.