Somerset entrepreneur Henry Quinlan – who owns an eco-supermarket called Earthfare which he ran with his late father Andrew – will climb Mont Blanc, cycle 875km, row across the English Channel and run 120km in a gruelling tribute journey ending at Buckingham Palace.
Henry, 33, from Glastonbury, will start the multi-stage challenge called ‘Peak 2 Palace’ in June in tribute to his ‘hero’ father Andrew, a former Royal Marine and businessman who died in November 2022 from a rare cancer, retroperitoneal liposarcoma, at age 59.
Andrew first realised he wasn’t well in March 2022 when he had abdominal and back pain, fatigue and nausea. After several investigations and a CT scan, he was diagnosed with an abdominal tumour measuring 10 x 5cms in May.
It was a rare and aggressive tumour and it was difficult to identify the type of cancer and, therefore, how to treat it. Another episode of severe pain in June meant an emergency hospital visit and another CT scan – this showed the tumour had doubled in size. Eventually it was identified as a retroperitoneal liposarcoma – a rare and aggressive soft tissue sarcoma.
Medics found a tumour the size of a rugby ball in Andrew’s abdomen. Although it was borderline inoperable at this stage, major surgery was carried out in July from which he recovered remarkably well, due to his good level of fitness and his determination and spirit.
His main goal was to walk his eldest daughter down the aisle at her wedding in September, which thankfully he achieved.
However, in October – 12 weeks after his operation – severe symptoms returned and a scan revealed two new tumours.
Andrew died aged 59 in November 2022 within ten days of starting chemotherapy.
Henry said: ‘My dad was my hero. He was my role model. But sarcoma – a rare and aggressive form of cancer – took him from us far too soon.’
Henry is the owner of EarthFare, an eco-grocery store that he ran with his father. He said: ‘I am so proud to have been in business with my dad, and I learnt a huge amount from him, so it is nice to wake up every day to do something me and my dad created and achieved together.’
He is tackling the challenge with his father-in-law Damian, 51, from Harrogate in Yorkshire. The event will involve three days of climbing Mont Blanc (at 4,806m, the highest mountain in the Alps), eight days of cycling, two days of non-stop rowing (two hours on, two hours off, shared by the pair) and three days of running.
Henry said: ‘I wanted to do something pretty extreme. I was on holiday with Damian last year and asked him after a few beers.’
He has been training five days a week, lifting weights, running, cycling and using a rowing machine. It won’t be the first crazy challenge he has attempted – in 2017, Henry raised £220,000 for a mental health charity when he and three friends crossed the Atlantic from the Canary Islands to Antigua in a pedalo.
Dr Sorrel Bickley, Director of Research, Policy and Support at Sarcoma UK, said: ‘Andrew Quinlan’s heartbreaking journey with retroperitoneal liposarcoma highlights the urgent need for more effective treatments for this rare cancer. Despite surgery initially seeming successful, the cancer returned, and, sadly, chemotherapy couldn’t save his life. This is why Sarcoma UK is committing more than £402,000 to Dr Zoe Walters’ groundbreaking research at the University of Southampton.
‘Dr Walters is focusing on liposarcoma – the most common soft tissue sarcoma – from two crucial angles. First, she’s developing new laboratory models that include immune cells alongside cancer cells, which will help us understand why immunotherapies work for some patients but not others. Second, she’s identifying specific genetic changes in aggressive dedifferentiated liposarcoma that could be targeted with existing drugs, potentially leading to more effective and less harmful treatments than current options.
‘Stories like Andrew’s drive our commitment to funding innovative research that gives future sarcoma patients better chances of survival and quality of life. The total commitment of £402,000 in Dr Walters’ two projects demonstrates our determination to transform outcomes for people affected by these rare but devastating cancers.’
To donate to Henry, go to Peak to Palace is fundraising for Sarcoma UK
