Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I'm currently training hard for this ride of a lifetime.  Over 200 Miles in less than 24 hours, with the only planned rest being a three hour ferry trip.

I'm doing this to help Evie Shears and as a short explanation of her struggles, I've copied the following information from her personal website www.enablingevie.co.uk

Thank you for you time and please give generously

Alan

 

Evelyn (Evie) Shears, the beautiful daughter of Aimey and James Shears, was born on 18th January 2012 at 7.27am in Kingston Hospital. Evelyn’s arrival into this world was incredibly distressing. Evelyn was born with the cord round her neck twice and during the final stages of labour, Evelyn suffered significant trauma and subsequently suffocated.  For the first 3 days of her new life, Evelyn was “cooled” through a procedure called ‘Therapeutic hypothermia’. This treatment involved lowering her body temperature to 32-34°C while unconscious, using a blanket or mattress filled with air or fluid. The purpose of this treatment was to cool Evie’s developing brain and slow down the rate of cell damage. Following this, Evie endured MRI scans and these revealed that she has Severe Hypoxic damage (significant brain damage in many areas). 

On Tuesday the 7th February, whilst coming to terms with this devastating news, Aimey and James were hit with another huge blow.  Their beautiful baby girl was found to have Retinoblastoma in both eyes. The family were consequently rushed to the London Hospital. Treatment for Retinoblastoma left Aimey and James with no other choice but for their precious little girl to undergo vigorous Chemotherapy at Great Ormond Street.  She will need 6 sessions with the hope that the tumours will shrink and they may be able to save some of her sight.

With current diagnoses of Cerebral Palsy, a movement disorder as well as Retinoblastoma, learning basic life skills including the simple concept of controlled movement, will be a huge challenge for Evie.  She will continue to require high levels of specialist support for the future. This will include appointments with Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Speech and language Therapists, Specialist Nurse support and Specialist Education provision to name a few. The list is endless.