The second biggest challenge of my life

My story

Back in October 2020, I was a fit and healthy 40 year old and just completed my first London marathon. During the months that followed, I developed some aches and pains that wouldn’t go away. Then came the tiredness and the coughing, and what the doctor thought was a really bad chest infection. But the coughing didn’t stop, and my breathing deteriorated. A swift ambulance ride later, I was in hospital being treated for pleural effusion – that’s fluid between the lung and the chest wall, to you and me.

The doctors and nurses were all in amazement that I was alive at all, after draining 3 litres of fluid from my chest. Several days later, I was diagnosed with a rare form of adult blood cancer, called Lymphoblastic Lymphoma. I was immediately transferred to the nearby cancer hospital to start 10 months of intense daily chemotherapy. At the beginning of 2022, I started a 2 year course of maintenance chemo, which concluded in March 2024

The Challenge

To cycle 980 miles in 9 days from lands end to John o groats - the equivalent of climbing Mount Everest 1½ times! Oh and I'm camping too!!

My Goal!

To raise £9,800 for Blood Cancer UK – that’s £10 for every mile I cycle.

The one thing I’ve missed the most, during the last 3 years, has been my fitness. I thought, when my treatment ends, why not go for the longest ride of my life to raise money for an amazing charity? I want to help Blood Cancer UK continue their vital research and support. Every single penny you can spare will make such a huge difference to others, just like it has for me.