Hi, I'm Heather. I am 36, Mum to a 3 year old, an Architect and (so far) a Breast Cancer survivor. Thank you for visiting my fundraising page. Please sponsor me online - every little helps.

I'm riding a motorbike 1000 miles from London to Edinburgh as part of the worldwide 'Changing Gears' (see www.changinggears.org to find out more about the event and the other riders) to raise awareness of breast cancer in young women, and particularly to raise awareness of Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) which is the type of cancer I was diagnosed with in January 2004.

IBC is rare (about 2% of breast cancer cases in the UK) and it's associated with comparatively poor survival. Until recently it was almost a death sentence but now the stats give about 40-50% survival after 5 years. I want to let you know some common IBC symptoms in the hope it may help someone avoid misdiagnosis, which is all too common:
- Inflammation of the breast (often rapid)
- thickening of the skin
- Redness and heat, sometimes itching
- A puckering of the skin often likened to the texture of orange peel - The nipple being retracted or 'pulled in' You do not need to have a lump to have breast cancer, get any change checked out and if a course of antibiotics doesn't clear an apparent infection ask for a referral to a specialist unit. This is a fast acting cancer and so the quicker it is caught the better the chances of treatment being effective. After a year in treatment or recovery I'm now taking back my old roles again and the 'biker' is going to be a fun one to step back into, though I'm not looking forward to the saddle sores!! I had a motorbike in my teens, and then rode one daily from my mid 20's until I became pregnant when we decided a car had eventually become a necessary evil. The money raised in the UK is going to the Lavender Trust, which raises cash for Breast Cancer Care (BCC) to provide services to younger women. Since my diagnosis I've benefited from BCC's website, finding information and support on their chat forums, and meeting other women in similar situations. BCC also provided me with a wonderful prosthesis fitting service - a woman who'd been through the process herself helped me through that emotional day when I picked a silicon substitute for the breast the surgeon removed... Please help me give a little back so that other people (yes men get breast cancer too) can benefit from BCC's information and support services. Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me and help young breast cancer survivors get the support they need to pick up their lives again. The Lavender Trust will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you. So please sponsor me now! Update:- Many thanks for everyone's support - be that financial, or more practical assistance. You've all contributed to raising over £4k accross three continents. Thanks is also due to Two Wheels and Edinburgh Harley Davidson for helping me get the safety gear I need together, and letting me borrow their bikes to get some practice before the ride. Ian (Edin H-D) & Tony (TW), Thank you for your help.