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So please sponsor me now!

Each year in the UK, more than a quarter of a million people are diagnosed with cancer.  The four commonest cancers (breast, lung, bowel and prostate) make up over half of all these cases.  Doctors estimate that more than one in three of us will get some form of cancer at some point in our lives.

I visit the Royal Marsden every year as part of a screening programme because my mother died of Breast Cancer when I was 9, and my Grandmother also.  In addition to this my Sister died of Leukaemia, so Cancer Research & the treatment of Cancer is close to my heart!

The Royal Marsden Hospital was the first hospital in the world dedicated to cancer treatment and research into the causes of cancer. Today the hospital with its academic partner, The Institute of Cancer Research, forms the largest comprehensive cancer centre in Europe with over 40,000 patients from the UK and abroad seen each year.

At The Royal Marsden, they are not afraid of cancer. They learn about it, talk about and most of all, use leading-edge techniques to treat it. They are doing everything they can to help improve patients' survival rates - whether it's new drug therapies and better equipment or facilities.

And that's why they need our help.

Please support The Royal Marsden and help give thousands of patients the facilities and treatments that can help them beat cancer – you never know, it might be someone close to you that needs their skills.

The Royal Marsden and their academic partner, The Institute of Cancer Research, have been awarded one of 11 National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre grants. They are the only institution to be.

In addition to the above, I know at least 3 people my age who have developed cancer in the last year, and I have seen what affects it has on families that I know, and so therefore, I wanted to raise money from my friends and work colleagues for this excellent cause, which will affect 1 in 3 of us.

I am going on a 16 day expedition to Antarctica in November with a group of Researchers and Photographers from the BBC and BBC Planet Earth to film the Emperor Penguins in their habitat.  I am travelling to Buenos Aires, Argentina and from here to the Antarctic Peninsula of Ushwai which is the most southern city on earth from where we will board a Russian Ice breaker. 

The ship will get us as close as is possible through the pack ice, and then we will trek on foot.  We will also take nearly 3 days to travel through the most ferocious waters in the world known as Drakes Passage which is the body of water from Cape Horn to the Antarctic Peninsula. It is known as the roughest ocean in the world. Satellite images show a cyclonic low of basically hurricane strength travels through the Drake Passage on the average of once every three weeks.  The icebreaker we will be travelling on is the only expedition ship that can reach the colony of Penguins and is the only vessel capable of penetrating the Weddell Sea at this time of the year.

I have to get fit for this expedition as we are required to walk across snow and ice in cold temperatures with backpacks every day, and if you know me well, you know that I have not done any exercise in the last 25 years !! – hence why I am working with a Personal Trainer and my local gym to get myself fit for this expedition including Body Pump classes and Gym and walking / running of the running machine.

I would like to use this Expedition and my Training programme to raise money for this worthy cause, and would be delighted if you could sponsor me a few pounds to get me on my way.

All money goes to Royal Marsden Cancer Campaign who work tirelessly to support people like you and I and our family who maybe unfortunate enough to get Cancer.

I am hoping that at least 50 people will support my cause and between £10 and £20 each will mean I should hit my target of £750.  Please give what you can whether it be a one pound, £10, £20, £50 or £100 - and donate on-line, ideally using Gift Aid which means that Under the Gift Aid scheme, charities can reclaim an extra 25% in tax on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. This means the Charity get 25p extra in the pound from the Government.

I will keep you posted on my expedition and my efforts to get fit for it! …. Please give what you can.

Thank you most sincerely.  Debs.  J