Jane was diagnosed with Breast Cancer at the end of June 2010, having found a lump in her breast just a few weeks earlier. It had been found quite early and the doctors were very positive. In July 2010 she had a Mastectomy, and this was followed by the classic regime of Chemotherapy followed by Radiation Therapy.  Everything seemed to go very well and she made an excellent physical recovery.  In March/April 2011 we went on a wonderful Caribbean holiday together, and on Friday 15 April, Jane went for her first full check-up. The doctors were so pleased and made all her routine appointments for the next 12 months, including an appointment with the surgeon to discuss breast reconstruction.

            That same evening, however, our world crashed down around us when the doctor rang to say that the blood test had come back and it indicated that there was a problem. Within a few weeks we knew the worst, multiple metastases in her liver and a single tumour in her brain. We knew it was incurable but the doctors at the University Hospital where she was being treated were fairly optimistic that they would be able to stabilise the cancer in her liver, giving her a life expectancy that would be measured in years. However, five weeks after beginning the treatment it became apparent that the secondary cancer in her liver was just too aggressive and on 16 June the doctors told us there was nothing more they could do. Jane died in my arms just five days later on 21 June 2011.

            On television Jane and I watched Fearne Cotton, Denise Van Outen, Alexandra Burke, Gabriella Cilmi, Amanda Byram, and the courageous ladies with them, when they trekked up Macchu Picchu; we said then, that when Jane was better we would do the same trek together. Sadly, Jane did not survive her cancer and will never be able to do the Trek up Macchu Picchu but I can, and I am doing it in May this year, in memory of Jane, to raise money for Cancer Research. Please help me to try and reduce the number of families that suffer the pain and grief our family has suffered over the last two years. You can do this by sponsoring me - all the money raised will go to Cancer Research.

My Challenge

On 25 May I will fly to Peru to start a trek that will take me some five days.  My goal is to reach the ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu via an Inca trail.  I shall have to spend some 30 hours trekking to reach the city.  I will start at a height of 2900 metres (9,600 ft), trek up to a height of 4600 metres (15,200 ft) when we cross over a high pass in the Andes and then descend back down to 2800 meters (9,300 ft).