In 2007, I lost my husband Graham, to Cancer of the Oesophagus. We had never heard of either Barrett’s Oesophagus or Oesophageal Cancer prior to my husbands diagnosis, and I decided to try and funnel the anger I felt after his death into something more constructive.
After a little bit of research I discovered “Barretts Oesophagus Campaign” (BOC) and decided that this charity represented many of the things I felt so strongly about; namely increased awareness of both conditions, further research into causes of Barrett’s and it’s progression into cancer and finally, the development of new and enhanced treatments.
In 2008, I and 41 other people cycled around the Isle of Wight, raising nearly £10,000 for BOC in the process. The challenge now is somewhat bigger (and more scary!!). This time I will be cycling with Grahams’ first son Darren and three other friends (Elise, another Darren and Alan) from Lands End to John O’Groats over the course of two weeks at the beginning of May 2010.
The route we are travelling will see us clock up close to 1000 miles, meaning an average of around 70 - 75 miles per day. I don’t think any of my fellow cyclists will be offended if I say that none of us are exactly natural born athletes, so this is a pretty major undertaking for us all. Training is well under way for each of us with hundreds of miles in the saddle having already been clocked up!
The money we raise will go directly to help fund a new piece of equipment to help treat Barrett's. If you know or have known someone with Barrett’s or Cancer of the Oesophagus, or if you simply think we are crazy (and I frequently think this at the moment) then please sponsor me for the ride.
Thank you very much
Claire Twort
Fighting Barrett's Oesophagus and oesophageal cancer by maintaining the Barrett's Oesophagus registry (UKBOR), funding research and providing patient support. Early diagnosis and public awareness of Barrett's Oesophagus and oesophageal cancer will help stem the steady increase of deaths in the UK.