Cape Town father runs half marathon for little cancer warriors, while battling stage 4 cancer himself
Aadam Forgan with his son after the race
Image: Supplied
Aadam Forgan has run for the children whose laughter and sobs echo through the curtains of the oncology ward — young lives battling cancer just metres away from where he receives chemotherapy.
On 26 April 2025, the 43-year-old father from Cape Town’s Deep South completed the Outeniqua Half Marathon in the Wilderness, all while fighting stage 4 colorectal cancer, to raise money and awareness for the Childhood Cancer Foundation South Africa (CHOC).
Diagnosed in 2023, just months after his sister was found to have stage 3 colorectal cancer, Forgan said his life changed almost overnight.
“The doctors told our family we should all get screened. I had no symptoms — nothing — but the colonoscopy showed stage 4 cancer and 18 metastases in my liver. I couldn’t believe it.”
He has since undergone major surgery and continues to face chemotherapy sessions lasting up to eight hours.
“When I go in for chemo, there’s a kids’ section nearby. Sometimes I hear them laugh through the curtain. Other times I hear them cry. I usually unplug my IV pole, walk over to the window with six drips attached, and just let my own tears fall quietly. I don’t want to disturb anyone. But those kids — they never leave my thoughts.”
Despite the physical toll of treatment, Forgan has trained consistently since undergoing surgery last November.
“Running gives me hope,” he said. “It’s not just exercise — it’s proof that I’ve survived. Every step tells me I’m still here. And I wanted to do something with that hope. I wanted to give it away.”
He launched a BackaBuddy campaign in April to raise funds for CHOC and has already raised over R31,500 from 47 donors — well over his original target of R20,000. “It didn’t matter if I raised R100 or R10,000,” he said.
“I just believed that if I dropped a pebble of hope, maybe it could ripple outwards and help someone else.”
Aadam lives for his son and the many cancer warriors
Image: Supplied
Speaking after the race, Forgan shared: “The route was beautiful, and I managed a modest time of 1:57. I’d promised myself I’d keep running on every climb. When my body started to hurt, I thought about the kids I’d seen in chemo — about their families and their daily struggles. Like in a race, the pain builds, but you just keep going. You don’t give up.”
Forgan, who runs a construction company and mentors young tradespeople, said resilience has shaped his life from a young age. After losing a kidney at 14, he turned to surfing and later running to stay grounded. “I’ve always believed that if you work hard and believe in yourself, anything is possible. There’s no shortcut. Just grit and belief.”
He now hopes to qualify for a liver transplant — and until then, he said he’ll keep running for others who can’t. “This campaign isn’t about me,” he said. “It’s a way of saying thank you to those who’ve supported me, and of giving something back to the kids still fighting.”
“I’m so grateful to everyone who’s donated or sent a message. You’ve helped me find purpose in this pain. That means the world to me.”
Forgan’s campaign, Keep Hope Alive, is still open for donations via BackaBuddy:
https://www.backabuddy.co.za/campaign/keep-hope-alive
tracy-lynn.ruiters@inl.co.za
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