A Gloucestershire police officer is set to complete a series of gruelling challenges, culminating in the London Marathon, to honour his late wife who died of a rare cancer.
Matt Miles, 46, from Cheltenham, is raising money for the Sue Ryder hospice that provided “amazing” care to his wife, Katy Miles, in her final months.
Katy, also a police officer, was just 37 when she was diagnosed with low-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (LGSOC) in 2016. The rare form of ovarian cancer accounts for only 2% to 5% of cases. Her only symptom had been bladder control issues during a CrossFit class.
Despite initial treatment and being given the all-clear, the cancer tragically spread by 2024, leading to her receiving end-of-life care.
Matt is now paying tribute to Katy by undertaking challenges linked to her police collar number, 1481.
These include a 1,481-mile row, 1,481 burpees, and hiking Spain’s Camino de Santiago. His year-long fundraising drive will conclude with the London Marathon on April 26.
Reflecting on Katy’s diagnosis, Matt told PA Real Life: “It was dramatically unfair. To have this disease is one thing, but to have a rare disease – for someone of her age and fitness level – there was no rhyme or reason for it. Cancer doesn’t discriminate. If it gets you, it gets you.”
Matt and Katy met at work in 2009, bonding over their shared love for sport, particularly rugby and skiing. Matt proposed during a ski trip in France in February 2012, surprising Katy by skiing up to her in a tuxedo. They married in May 2013.
“I’m quite shy and introverted. She was very extroverted, so she was very good at filling the gaps,” Matt recalled. “She had a very infectious laugh and a huge, beaming smile. You’d never hear a bad word said about her.”
Katy, who was always fit and healthy and took “pride in her appearance”, had “thrown herself full throttle” into CrossFit. It was during a class in 2016 that she experienced bladder issues while skipping, prompting a GP visit. A scan revealed an abnormality, which doctors initially believed to be a non-cancerous ovarian cyst.
However, on December 16, 2016, at a medical centre in Cheltenham, the couple received devastating news. Matt remembers a doctor telling them: “I can’t tell you the result because I’m not an oncologist, but you need to be aware that I expect this is going to be bad news.”
The impact was immediate. “I remember Katy had a yellow jumper on and blue jeans, and we walked out into the corridor and went through a set of double doors,” Matt recounted. “As soon as we went through those, she literally grabbed hold of me and her legs just buckled. Then she just burst into tears because she’d just been told that she had cancer.”
It was later confirmed to be low-grade serous ovarian carcinoma, a subtype that grows slower than more common ovarian cancers but has a survival rate of up to 10 years, according to NHS England.
Katy underwent a bowel resection in November 2016, followed by an eight-hour operation in August 2017 to remove “lesions found on the liver, kidney, bladder and stomach lining”. Matt described the surgeon as “finding grains of sand and he was taking each one out.”
Katy also had a stoma bag fitted and a full hysterectomy, which Matt called a “hugely impactful operation” that she “took in her stride”, before enduring a cycle of “brutal” chemotherapy. By March the following year, she was feeling better and returned to the gym.
In May 2019, follow-up scans revealed two small tumours. Doctors advised that the focus would shift from curing the cancer to managing and prolonging Katy’s quality of life. Over the next few years, Katy accessed various new treatments, but eventually, these became ineffective.
By May 2024, the cancer had spread to her bones and skin, and she received a prognosis of around a year. She also developed kidney problems, necessitating a nephrostomy – a procedure Matt said was “the most painful thing she had done. That one really got to her, but she just took it all in her stride.”
It was at this point that Sue Ryder became involved, offering Katy respite when she was “exhausted”. By early spring 2024, Katy’s quality of life had deteriorated significantly. Matt recalled her telling him: “I can’t do it any more. It’s too much.”
Struggling with the nephrostomies, Katy made the difficult decision to have them removed, a choice explained to her as a “peaceful way to end” her life.
“I can remember the doctor was crying and so was the nurse,” Matt said. “Everyone was in hysterics. She had these things taken out and she came back and she was beaming.”
Matt and Katy’s sister, Lucy, then spent Katy’s final three weeks with her at the hospice before she passed away on September 24, 2024.
In the aftermath of Katy’s death, Matt resolved to support the “amazing” charity that had cared for his wife. He embarked on his series of challenges, starting around Katy’s birthday in August 2024, incorporating her collar number 1481 into each feat, including 1,481 burpees, a 14.81-mile row, and a 14.81km run to and from the Sue Ryder hospice.
He also completed the charity’s cold water plunge, the Big Dip, and the Camino de Santiago.
Having already surpassed his initial fundraising goal of £10,481, Matt has now increased it to £14,810. As he prepares for the London Marathon, he anticipates a “special day”.
“I’ve got an embroidered patch of the 1481 that I’ll have on my Sue Ryder shirt and a little wooden cross that Katy had,” Matt shared. “When I have those moments where I don’t want to keep going, those will be the little things that will keep driving me.
Katy will be at the forefront of my mind. She is the driving force behind it all.”
To donate to Matt’s fundraiser for Sue Ryder, visit his JustGiving page at www.justgiving.com/page/matthew-miles-1.
