A WORCESTER cancer sufferer who became a father thanks to a fertility treatment paid for by a group of travellers, will show his thanks by running the London Marathon next year in aid of Leukaemia Care.

Postman Chris Price became a father after a group of travellers gave him £2,000 so his wife Stephanie could receive IVF treatment.

Baby Daniel, born on February 3, 1997, was dubbed "the baby in the box" because the £2,000 had been given to Mr Price in a shoebox.

"One of the travellers was terminally ill and the city cancer support worker, Glen Green, had been helping her and had mentioned my situation," said Mr Price, aged 35, who contracted Hodgkin's Disease - cancer of the lymph nodes - at 19.

He beat the cancer but the treatment left him sterile and also caused him to have a mental breakdown.

"When the woman died, they held a collection at her funeral and presented Glen with a shoe box full of money and asked her to give it to myself and Stephanie so we could start a family," said Mr Price.

Stephanie, now 31, became pregnant on her second attempt at artificial insemination.

The treatment cost £300 and the couple handed the rest of the cash back.

Mr Price, who never expected to become a father and considers himself "very lucky", now wants to "put something back" by running the London Marathon for Worcester-based charity, Leukaemia Care.

"Now I am fully recovered I want to put something back in," said Mr Price, of Saltwood Avenue, Warndon Villages, who has never run a marathon before.

He is currently running 28 miles a week and plans to "up" the training as the marathon approaches.

He does, however, keep active, as chairman of Worcester Rangers Boys Football Club, which he founded in 1987 with friend Trevor Rowley and which now fields six teams.

"I am looking for as much sponsor money as I can get," added Mr Price who is also planning a Sporting and Celebrity Auction in June 2001 for Dreams Come True, a charity for terminally ill children.

"I am hoping to raise at least £1,000 for Leukaemia Care."

Anyone who would like to sponsor Mr Price in the London Marathon can contact him on 07931 469199 or 01905 752222.