I'm cycling from Land's End to London inside four days with a couple of friends starting on 23 June in aid of my friends' recently formed charity Nicki's Smile. Given I love nothing more than sitting on my couch, this 350-odd mile ride together with training rides from North London to and from Brighton and the New Forest amongst others and cycling to work in White City every (almost every) day is surely worth a few quid let alone the worthwhile charity I'm raising money for.
Nicki's Smile is working together with Pancreatic Cancer UK (PCUK), the leading Pancreatic Cancer charity in the UK.
PCUK is dedicated to fighting pancreatic cancer (which has the lowest survival rate of any form of cancer) through support, information, research and campaigning.The monies raised by Nicki’s Smile will be ring-fenced by PCUK and then used to fund specific initiatives to aid early diagnosis and awareness. The reason the fund is focusing on early diagnosis and awareness can be attributed to the story of Nicki Blake, who passed away aged just 33.
Nicki was diagnosed in March 2009 with an advanced form of pancreatic cancer. Tragically the cancer had already spread from the pancreas to her liver and bones and she was therefore inoperable. Just over a year before she was diagnosed, doctors did not pick up on various warning signs for cancer growth in the pancreas. With improved awareness of symptoms, doctors would have carried out the necessary tests that would have shown a tumour in the head of her pancreas that would have more than likely been suitable for surgery. Nicki would still be here today.
Nicki's Smile is therefore hoping to raise significant sums through fundraising campaigns to make a real difference and ensure that in the future, pancreatic cancer’s awful survival statistics are improved.
Any donations will be gratefully received.
(Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer.)