A FORMER South Wales Argus journalist who successfully battled a rare form of cancer is preparing to tackle a half marathon in a bid to thank the people that helped him though his illness.

Ben Payne, 40, who was diagnosed with testicular cancer in 2013, will take on the Belfast Half Marathon on September 18.

He said: “Being told that news is one of most people’s greatest fears. My wife and my boy were with me and I can’t begin to describe how it felt hearing the news and looking into their eyes knowing what lay ahead.”

Mr Payne's treatment culminated in a major operation to remove residual tissue as well as areas the tumour had grown into, including the nerve to his diaphragm, a bag around his heart and sections of his lung.

“There is no other way to describe it than living in a horror movie which started with my diagnosis and ended with the operation,” he added.

Mr Payne, who now lives in Birmingham, is running the race to highlight the work carried out by staff at QE Hospital in Birmingham and is trying to raise as much as he can for the Teenage Cancer Trust.

He will raising money for the Trust because, when he was receiving treatment, he was sometimes treated in the young person's Unit at QE. This was because of limited beds.

To sponsor Mr Payne, visit justgiving.com/fundraising/Ben-Payne4