A MUM-of-two has completed a gruelling open water swim to support Blood Cancer Awareness Month in memory of her husband.

Louise Clague from Northwich took part in event on behalf of blood cancer charity DKMS.

The 51-year-old joined more than 700 contestants in this year’s 5.25-mile open water Coniston Chillswim.

Once finished, Lou immediately challenged others to support DKMS’s You’ve Got it in You initiative.

The campaign urges people between the age of 17-55 to make a difference by taking the first step to becoming a blood stem cell donor and a potential lifesaver.

Lou Clague said: “It was epic, and I was so nervous, having not swum the entire distance in one go and my shoulders were so sore after three miles.

"But I dug deep and kept on going, keeping Andy, my late husband, in my mind as motivation and thinking of all the patients in desperate need of a stem cell transplant.

“I did it and finished with a big smile on my face.

"I proved I’ve got it in me to complete Chillswim.

"And you’ve got it in you to be a matching blood stem cell donor for someone with blood cancer.”

Lou’s husband, Andy Clague, was fit and active and was a keen cyclist but started to suffer from a muscle strain in his back in November 2015.

The pain developed into pins and needles and within three days he had lost the use of his legs.

Sadly, he passed away in December 2017, aged 46, following a two-year battle with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

In the UK, more than 13,000 people are diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma each year.

Since Andy’s untimely death, Lou has been on a mission to sign-up as many people as possible at donor registration events and encourage them to participate in fundraising challenges on behalf of DKMS.

Every 20 minutes someone in the UK is diagnosed with a blood cancer or a blood disorder, such as leukaemia, myeloma or lymphoma, and often a blood stem cell donation is the best – and sometimes only – treatment method to help give someone a second chance of life.

Blood Cancer is the third most common cause of cancer death in the UK, but less than half of the UK population is aware of blood cancer issues.

If you are aged 17-55 and in good general health, you can support blood cancer patients by registering online at dkms.org.uk for your home swab kit.

More than 863,000 people have already registered, and DKMS has helped to give more than 1,440 people a second chance at life.