Dream wish list for cancer survivor

Latest health news
22 December 2013

A police officer who twice defeated cancer has compiled an alternative "bucket list" in the hope it will inspire others to beat the disease.

Greig Trout, a former crime scene investigator with the Metropolitan Police, said he wanted to travel the world and follow his dreams after being given the all-clear a second time.

His list of "101 things to do when you survive" is a take on the 21st century phenomenon of the bucket list - a fantasy wishlist of things to do and see, set up for those battling terminal illness before they "kick the bucket".

Mr Trout is one of the survivors behind Cancer Research UK's Every Moment Counts campaign which highlights the special moments of those who have encountered the disease.

He was first diagnosed with cancer aged seven and had to have a kidney removed. Since beating cancer again, the 34-year-old, originally from Dumfries in Scotland, has spent three months working with a remote community in Nicaragua, climbed a volcano in Costa Rica and went nature-watching on the Galapagos Islands. He is currently in Ecuador.

Mr Trout, who lived in Newcastle and Bristol before moving to London to join the police, said: "After my bowel operation and with chemotherapy looming, the worst-case scenario was death.

"At that point, my thoughts were not of all I had achieved at work as a crime scene examiner or the nice apartment I lived in, they were of the places I had visited and of the experiences I had had. I also thought of the places I hadn't seen yet and may never get a chance to.

"When I got my two-year 'all clear', I decided the time was right to follow my dreams and travel the world with the aim of inspiring others affected by cancer."

The idea for the anti-bucket list came to him when he was in a hospital waiting room.

"It's exactly that 'every moment counts' feeling," he said. "As I watched people come and go, I knew some of them were not going to get good news.

"I thought how wonderful it would be if they could come on my trip with me and the idea of '101 things to do when you survive' was born.

"Most books and travel journals concentrate on bucket lists and 'things to do before you die'. I thought it was about time to inspire others to show them what is waiting for them when they survive."

Mr Trout has since created a website for his challenge which so far has 50 ideas on the list, leaving a further 51 vacancies for other suggestions.

He said: "I knew I wanted to create a website showing a double cancer survivor who has one kidney, a missing piece of bowel and deep vein thrombosis, living a full and happy life."

Mr Trout's ideas have also caught the eye of adventurer Bear Grylls, who said he had been inspired by the mission.

He said: "Greig is truly one brave man and is determined to shine a light and help and inspire those who have faced real battles. I admire his courage and resolve so much."

To follow the adventure, visit www.whenyousurvive.com

Cancer Research UK's Every Moment Counts website: https://everymomentcounts.cancerresearchuk.org/

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