Iain Ward: King of Chemo
If you were given five years left to live, what would you do?
Iain Ward, 33, came face to face with this question over two years ago when he was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. He has now turned his focus to breaking the world record for the most money raised, for a single marathon. And he is hoping to do this by gaining sponsors through his social media platforms.
The world record currently stands at around £2.3 million, which will all be donated to cancer research.
Although soon moving to London, the man who I discovered through his TikTok account under the name ‘King of Chemo’ joins me over Zoom from his house in Ireland. And by looking at him, you wouldn’t believe anything was wrong.
In 2019, as part of a medical trial, Iain had an MRI scan where, unexpectedly, a tumour was detected and in July 2020, he underwent brain surgery, where he was awake the entire time. “I won’t lie it was a bit uncomfortable, I certainly wouldn’t recommend it,’ he says.
Iain had to be conscious for the surgery and was asked trivia questions to see which parts of the brain were still actively responding. This was so that the doctors wouldn’t accidentally damage any areas that were vital in his speech and motor skills – luckily, Iain’s ability to speak was not affected.
When the tumour was first discovered, Iain had already been told that there was a high likelihood of cancer, which was confirmed to be stage 3 brain cancer after the surgery.
“In a lot of ways, I was mentally prepared when they told me it was cancerous. The thing that was most scary for me was not knowing how much of my ability to speak was going to be damaged, because more importantly than anything else I’m a funny man and the only time I’m not making jokes is in the bedroom… and that doesn’t happen that much anymore,’ he says letting out a laugh.
According to the NHS, 1 in 2 people will develop some form of cancer in their lifetime.
“It’s a mad statistic, because you know, half of people get will it. But that doesn’t mean the other half are fine. It still severely effects those close to that person.”
Currently, Iain isn’t receiving further treatment – it would be too dangerous for him to undergo surgery or treatment again, due to the cancer’s location in his brain.
“The brain is the most important part of the body. It’s the running machine. It’s the everything. Which is why I have told I need a couple of years before I can undergo any more chemotherapy.”
Having the break in treatment has also meant that Iain hasn’t suffered with some of the physical side effects of chemotherapy, defying the typical stereotype of what someone with cancer looks like.
“I think the media has made people associate cancer with very severe forms of it, or people in their end stages. So perhaps looking very week and gaunt, which can be the case. But in reality, there are so many different forms of cancer and it can affect individuals in many different ways.”
“I’ve got this shit to deal with right now and it’s up to me to decide how I’m going to deal with it.”
It is this stereotype which Iain is also trying to change by doing his challenge. He says, “I’ve always watched world war films and thought about what I would be like. Would I be the one to get on with it, or would I be the one breaking down?”
Adding, “So, I feel like this is my opportunity to shine. I’ve got this shit to deal with right now and it’s up to me to decide how I’m going to deal with it.”
Iain decided he wanted to try and break this world record very quickly after his prognosis, however he also chose to try and do so with a more unconventional approach to fundraising. He says, “I never wanted to beg people for money. All I want people to do is follow and support me. And in turn, I have found that by gaining followers, sponsorships offered from brands continue to grow, so it seems to be paying off so far.”
For someone whose whole idea was largely based on sponsorship, Iain admitted that he remained surprisingly neutral when the first offer came in. He was wary of getting his hopes up but said “It was a relief to see that the system was beginning to work.”
As of August 2022, the King of Chemo has two official sponsors – Brewdog and Gym Shark, although there are a few more that have yet to be announced. “We actually benefit one another by the brands sponsoring me. We both receive great exposure and I am both a charity and their ambassador at the same time.”
Iain can be found through his @kingofchemo online presence across multiple social media platforms, his largest following on TikTok where he fondly remembers the day when one of his videos went viral. “It was fucking incredible,” he looks to the ceiling and laughs excitedly as he recounts the story. “TikTok has a limit of showing you 30,000 new followers or something like that. People were following me at such a rate, it couldn’t even give me a precise number.”
His TikTok account at one point boasted over 2.3 million followers, however due to issues with the platform he had to move over to the new @kingofchemo account, where he has already gained in excess of 58 thousand followers. However, he has plans for what he would like his account to become in the future.
“I’d like to change the name so it becomes more of a team thing. Of course, I’d like to still be the front man, but it would be shitty if something was to happen to me and the channel just stopped.”
Iain is physically well-prepared for his marathon run and has also spent the past year running various marathons, in Ireland, Boston, Manchester and Edinburgh. Plus a few half marathons along the way.
These runs have all been well documented on social media and useful for Iain to gain recognition, his story now shared all over the world. This included being invited on to Ireland AM, a breakfast show, just last month to talk about his journey.
Iain is aiming to hit the 2.4 million target and break the world record at the London marathon on the 4th of October this year. However, he is also realistic about achieving his goal. “I don’t even know if I will accomplish it, which I know it sounds weird, but I’m not going to put too much pressure on myself. If we don’t, then we will just keep building our follower base until we do.”
Iain is well on his way to breaking the world record, whether it be this year or the next. But he still needs more support to get there. You can check out his project and progress at curecancerordietrying.com/ and of course follow him on his social channels with @kingofchemo
