Running towards hope: The Ipswich man taking on London for his hospital
When Sam Knibbs received a stage four cancer diagnosis on his birthday, he was sitting in his campervan with his wife, enjoying the world around him. Two years on, he is preparing to run 26.2 miles through London — not despite everything he has been through, but because of it.
Sam, who's from Ipswich but living in Witnesham with his wife Frankie, was not at home when the call came. He was in his campervan, out on the road with Frankie, enjoying what he describes as "everything that this beautiful world has to offer us all" — which made it, in some ways, "a good birthday".
In other ways, it was the worst of his life.
A specialist at Ipswich Hospital rang to tell him that a melanoma lump in his shoulder had spread to his liver. He was, the specialist confirmed, a stage four cancer patient.
"In some ways, it was the worst birthday of my life," Sam recalls. "But in others, I was in my campervan with my wonderful wife and enjoying everything that this beautiful world has to offer us all, so it was also a pretty good birthday."
A year of whirlwind
What followed was, in Sam's own words, "a whirlwind." The medication. The effects of the medication. Two spinal fractures. Months away from the padel courts he loves. Restrictions at work. And the emotional weight carried not just by Sam, but by those closest to him.
Yet through it all, something has kept him moving forward — and it is not just the love of his friends and family, though he is at pains to acknowledge that too. It is the NHS, and specifically the teams at Ipswich Hospital.
The Woolverstone clinic and the Ipswich Cancer Wellbeing and Support Centre have, he says, provided him with everything he needs to face his diagnosis with a positive plan. "The NHS, the guys at Woolverstone clinic at Ipswich Hospital and the Ipswich Cancer Wellbeing and Support Centre have given me everything I can do to positively move forward with a treatment plan that my National Insurance contributions would never cover in a lifetime."
A series of positive scans and encouraging reports has given him cause for hope — and a goal.
Giving it all back
Sam is running the 2026 TCS London Marathon in April for Colchester & Ipswich Hospitals Charity, which supports patient and family services across East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (ESNEFT), the trust that runs Ipswich Hospital.
His motivation is straightforward: the charity funds services the NHS simply cannot afford alone.
"The NHS can't afford my treatment or fund these services on their own," he says. "This is why I want to run and give all I can to support anyone else that may need these services."
For Sam, it is personal. The Colchester and Ipswich Hospitals Charity feeds directly into the treatment and support services that have underpinned every day since his diagnosis. Running the marathon is his way of closing the loop.
"The NHS and the teams at Ipswich Hospital have given me everything I need to keep moving forward," he says. "Running this marathon is my way of giving all I can back."
Sandra Gosney, fundraising manager at the charity, says Sam's commitment has been an inspiration to those around him. "Sam's determination to take on the London Marathon after undergoing life-changing treatment is incredibly inspiring," she says. "The funds he raises will help us continue supporting patients and families facing a similar diagnosis and when they need us most."
The bottom line
Sam Knibbs's story is one of the most human responses to the most difficult of news: rather than turn inward, he is running outward — towards a finish line, and towards a future where others facing the same diagnosis have the same support he has received.
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