Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I must be mad, signing up to cycle 400 kms over 5 days in Kenya, but the effort will be worth it if the money I raise helps to save or extend the lives of women suffering from cancer.

I have a sister who has survived breast cancer but I also had a lovely sister Julie who lost her fight against ovarian cancer in September 2009 just 6 days after her 45th birthday (and it is in her memory that I am doing this).

A lot of cancers are detected too late to save the lives of the women affected because of the lack of knowledge about the symptoms not just by the women themselves but certainly in the case of Julie the GPs, but this needn't be so. All of these charities are dedicated to supporting the victims & families of these horrible diseases but in addition they are passionate about making women and GPs more aware of the symptoms.

Ovarian cancer action runs with just 7 employees whereas Jo's cervical trust has just 4, so your money really is needed to help keep these fantastic charities going so that more women have a greater chance of survival. 

So please dig deep and donate to this worthy cause, but at the same time please make yourself more aware of the symptoms of these diseases and do not be afraid to pester your doctor if you feel something is wrong (you know your body better than anyone).

By the way, I will be paying the costs associated with my participation in this challenge so your money will not be paying for me to have a holiday in Kenya!

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. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Thank you for your support, Helen xxx.