A year ago, a Lowestoft man was preparing to tackle the largest obstacle course in the world.

But just days before Sebastian Moore was due to try the Rat Race Dirty Weekend in the grounds of one of England's greatest stately houses, he was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer.

Now, having been given the all-clear, the 25-year-old is determined to raise funds for the hospital that helped him through the toughest of times – by completing the national event at Burghley House in Lincolnshire.

Mr Moore will push his body to the limit next Saturday over a 20-mile purpose-built course, complete with 200 obstacles in 20 themed zones, to raise money for the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital. The trainee chef said: 'I had completed the Tough Mudder in 2012 and wanted to do something more challenging with the Rat Race.

'But a week or so before I was going to do it I was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. I had some lumps come up on my neck in about February last year,' he recalled.

'At the time I had had lots of illnesses and just thought it was them playing up. But then it started to get more painful.'

After three weeks of tests, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma cancer – leading to three months of chemotherapy.

But with the help of the 'great team' in the haematology department at the Colney Centre at the N&N, he said: 'During the chemotherapy my eyes were opened to the hard work undertaken by the doctors and nurses that looked after me. No matter what was going on, they always managed to make me feel happy and relaxed to the point where I would often forget I even had cancer.'

Mr Moore was given the all-clear last August, leading to him being determined to help the hospital – and he was soon in training for next Saturday's race.

Support Mr Moore online at www.justgiving.com/NNHospital

Have you overcome adversity to take on a special challenge? Email mark.boggis@archant.co.uk