**I understand that I get very ‘wordy’ when I’m passionate about something, but please read, it took me ages to write.**

“Family” is a word that means a lot to most people, from being; blood family, adopted family, fostered family, “brothers from another mother” and “sisters from another mister”. Family is a strong bond, and something that almost everyone has a hand in somewhere. Unfortunately, some people will know that I haven’t had much luck with my own blood family, but when I bought my first motorbike, I found my true family. Among that new family, I met Alan Mills, his wife Vicki and their two awesome children Ryss & Fayth.

Alan is a one of the few genuine bikers through and through. He is 39yrs old, and never had a car licence, he has only ever ridden motorbikes, no matter what the wether is, and I applaud him for that.

For the past few years, Alan and I have been more like brothers than friends, he has been there when I was feeling low, and I go and do the maintenance on his motorbike when he couldn’t afford a shop to do it. Vicki has always welcomed me into their home with smiles, good banter and plenty of coffee while the kids have always been polite, respectful and always funny! Alan is a good man with a good family.

On the 30th October, Alan was involved in a motorbike accident, an accident that has led the amputation of the lower part of his right leg. This incident has sent shockwaves though Alan’s friends and family, but the support people for all walks of life have shown has been amazing, especially from the biker community. The positive vibes is something that will massively help the motivation for his recovery, and I hope for this to continue. Alan is still in hospital, and will be here for a while longer to make sure the start of recovery is a good and permanent one, both physically and mentally.

On behalf of Vicki and the family, I would like to say thank you to everyone for the support and love given to Alan. I don’t think you’ll ever understand how much that actually means to him, mainly because you’ll be hard pressed to get him to talk about his feelings in a public space. Public and private messes of support on social media, the people who have taken time out of their lives to visit Alan and he cards I have been sent give to him. It’s all kept him sane in hospital, and I have personally seen that on my very regular visits to see him, to help keep his sprits up about the future.

Because Vicki has asked me to post some updates of my time at Royal London Hospital, I have received a few messages asking if I was going to sort something out for people to be able to give a bit of change to help Alan and his family set up the next stages of their lives. This sort of help would go towards trying to make the next steps (no pun intended!) a bit easer and a lot less daunting.

The people who have messaged me directly will know that I have been waiting to see what the permanent outcome to Alan’s surgery would be, but also his mental state as well. Anyone who has been in a bad crash will understand that it’s not alway so easy to just carry on with life as it was before. I’m also very aware due to a miscommunication, a more family and close friend fund was set up by one of Vicki’s friends while this was already in the pipeline for the past week or so, and I’m so grateful for all those people, in the biker community and those who aren’t, who have been kind enough to give up something to help out an awesome family. However, I’d still like to see the biker community pull together and really prove this is a genuine family, and not something you choose to say and ignore when it suits.

The (mostly) long and short of this is how we, as a group decide to help. Alan has decided, with a heavy heart, that for now, riding is not an option for him mentally (regardless of physically), so my idea of an adapted motorbike or trike for Alan to focus on for rehabilitation isn’t the right goal for him to focus on.

The reality of the situation is that Christmas is around the corner and both Alan and Vicki will soon be struggling with Alan on SSP and Vicki having to take time away from work to support Alan and the kids. I have been helping out as much as I can by talking Vicki between Witham and Royal London Hospital three times a week, on top of my own working days - making my commute home from the hospital to mine around the 3 hours hours long, but now I need to ask the biker community for support as well. Between household bills, a family to support, Christmas, Alan having to do now pass a driving licence, adaptations needed doing to his house to support his new life, it’s starting to make my head spin, let alone what it’s doing for them. Our biker community is MASSIVE, If everyone that this message reaches can trust me enough to give up £1 - one single pound from their life, it could make the difference to this wonderful family, that really do need right now. For one second, imagine it was you writing this for one of your family or best mates, it’s hard to ask someone else to to give up something when we have our own problems, but it’s what I have to do now. The very real and high possibility of Alan spending Christmas in hospital is not helping the situation for them either right now.

Here are some of the updates over the past couple of weeks - they have been shared in various biker groups so I apologise in advance for language if you check them out as well as that’s where they were intended to be really;

https://www.facebook.com/1449993005/posts/10215275211700805/

https://www.facebook.com/1449993005/posts/10215281302413069/

https://www.facebook.com/1449993005/posts/10215281302413069/

https://www.facebook.com/1449993005/posts/10215285333353840/

https://www.facebook.com/1449993005/posts/10215320878402444/

https://www.facebook.com/1449993005/posts/10215320898482946/

https://www.facebook.com/1449993005/posts/10215374143214031/

Alan is as good as a blood brother to me, he isn’t the one asking for help, I am, because Alan wouldn’t do it, ever.

Thanks in advance, I know what I’m asking is a lot, every single little bit of help is valued to Alan and his family.

Daryl Ruddock (NuggetNik)