One Good Turn - Why Dimitris Karagiorgis is taking part

Dimitris Karagiorgis is  Senior Manager in our Audit and Assurance department. He shared his story with us on why he's taking part and fundraising for One Good Turn.

One Good Turn is our flagship fundraiser where people can choose to run, hike, swim, walk, cycle or play to raise funds for cancer research and support.

"One Good Turn is a great opportunity for many of us to do something physically challenging, volunteer for worthy causes and commemorate very special people we have cared deeply about. I have been running long distances recreationally since I was a teenager, so my story goes like this:

When my boy, Christopher, was born 18 years ago, he had obvious physical difficulties, as he wasn’t moving as much from his left side. He was later formally diagnosed with cerebral palsy, as well as with autism, both life-long disabilities. Every single morning I have to dress, care and feed him for about an hour, as well as every evening get him physically ready for sleep.

But things got much harder when my wife, Prof Diane Payne-Karagiorgis, got suddenly diagnosed with cancer and untimely passed away over 4 years ago. Running whenever I could kept me mentally sane, as well as physically strong to keep minding my son too.

Doing the half-marathon during One Good Turn is for me a special tribute to the memory of my beloved wife, Diane, as well as to the ongoing difficulties that my son, Christopher, has and continue to face in his life. In fact, for many of us doing any of the One Good Turn activities, a few hours of physical strain will be to honour the memory and the emotional difficulties that people we have loved have gone through themselves too.”