On the 17th July 2010 Aaron Beatty, Dougie Benzie & Connor Dinsmore will be cycling 350 miles from Cork, up the west coast of Ireland and plan to arrive in Portrush, Co Antrim seven days later.  Training has been minimal so this will be a very difficult task for all of us especially as the 17th is getting very close. 

We are raising money for the Neuroblastoma Society. Neuroblastoma is a rare aggressive childhood cancer. About 100 children are diagnosed in the UK each year. The Society works exclusively for these children in raising funds for British research into the disease, and offering information and support to families affected by neuroblastoma.

On Sunday 20th December 2009, Aarons niece Katie McKnight was diagnosed with a cancer called Neruoblastoma. You may have never heard of this type of tumour but let me explain a little.

Neuroblastoma is a tumour which mostly affects children and there is no comparable tumour in an adult. Only about 80-90 children per year are diagnosed with it in the UK. It arises from particular nerve cells which run in a chain-like fashion up the back of the abdomen and chest and into the skull following the line of the spinal cord. However, the most common place for the tumour to grow is in the abdomen, which is where Katies is supposed to have started.

Her Parents brought her into the Royal Belfast Hospital for sick children on Sunday afternoon at 5pm as they had realised she had no feeling in my legs. By 12 midnight, after being poked and prodded, scanned numerous times and x-rayed, results came back showing that she had an aggressive tumour that was on her spine and behind her tummy. Katie then had an emergency 4 hour operation so the tumour on her spine could be removed to give her the best chance of walking again.

This is a very brief outline of what has happened in the space of a few days and how the family's life has been turned upside down.

There is continuous research into Neuroblastoma and I would encourage you to support this cause.  Katie is currently receiving treatment on a trial which opened in December 2009 called 'Antibody Treatment (antiGD2) trial for high risk neuroblastoma patients'.

 

You can keep up-to-date with Katie's progress by visiting Katie's facebook site   www.facebook.com/katiemcknight1234.

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.

So please dig deep and donate now.