A Troon widower has raised £15,315 for the cancer charity that treated his wife after completing his first-ever cycling challenge in her memory.
Donald Gibson, a 57-year-old trawler skipper, cycled 56 miles in Sir Chris Hoy’s inaugural Tour de 4 to support the Beatson Cancer Research Unit in Glasgow. He had hoped his wife, Mhairi, would be waiting for him at the finish line, but she died from pancreatic cancer on June 28.
Mhairi was a much-loved primary school music teacher. To keep her memory close during the challenge, Donald had her name printed next to his heart on his cycling shirt.
A fundraiser in Mhairi’s memory
Donald completed the ride with three close friends, Harvey, Jim and Torg. He said their support had been vital during a difficult time and thanked everyone who had donated to the fundraiser, which remains open.
“The Tour de Four was just fantastic. I could not have managed without my three best friends, Harvey, Jim and Torg.”
Donald said he and Mhairi had expected her to see him finish the event. He described her death as the loss of someone taken “far too young” by pancreatic cancer, remembering her as a caring and lively person who loved life.
“She will forever be remembered as the most beautiful, caring and vivacious human being who loved life and lived her life to the fullest.”
Mhairi was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer in October last year after weeks of stomach pains and two visits to A&E in Ayr. A CT scan later revealed a shadow on her pancreas, and she was given the terminal diagnosis alone in a hospital bed.
Donald was at sea off the coast of Oban when he learned about the cancer by phone. He described the eight-hour journey back to his wife as the worst journey of his life.
Thousands take part in Glasgow challenge
Mhairi is survived by the couple’s three daughters, Jacqui and twins Darcy and Amber, who are all university graduates.
More than 5,000 cyclists took part in the Tour de 4 in Glasgow on September 6, raising more than £2.5 million for five leading UK cancer charities. The event included a mass cycle at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome in the city’s east end.
The challenge followed Sir Chris Hoy’s diagnosis with prostate cancer in September 2023 and the news a year later that his cancer was terminal. Many participants were living with stage four cancer.
Donald said the £15,315 raised for the Beatson reflected the generosity shown to Mhairi and his family.
“We have raised an outstanding £15,315 for the Beatson and they deserve every penny.”
A Beatson Cancer Charity spokesperson thanked everyone who took part, saying the money raised would make a real difference to people affected by cancer.