<p>Nearly six years ago my best friend <strong>Henry O'Lone</strong> was diagnosed with a very rare form of cancer (osteosarcoma aka bone cancer). The day I was off on holiday to South Africa he was told he had it, when I came back three weeks later he had no hair and was plugged into a drip at the top of UCL Hospital. He remained in that hospital for ten months and if he wasn't receiving treatment in London he was ill with an infection in his local hospital in Norfolk. In February 2007 he had his right arm <strong>amputated</strong> at the shoulder as you can see in the photo. Pretty rough times but he is on the other side now and meets with the oncologist every three months for blood tests.</p> <p class="MsoPlainText">&nbsp;</p> <p class="MsoPlainText">Bone cancer treatment and survival rates (55% five year survival) have not changed in forty years and <strong><span style="border-image: initial; padding: 0cm; border: 1pt none windowtext;">Osteosarcoma</span></strong><span style="border-image: initial; padding: 0cm; border: 1pt none windowtext;">&nbsp;is a very rare type of bone cancer with only 200 cases being diagnosed every year. Consequently funding and research is quite limited.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &amp;amp;amp;quot; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; color: #1c1c1c; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">&nbsp;</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family: &amp;amp;amp;quot; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; color: #1c1c1c; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 14.25pt; background: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: &amp;amp;amp;quot; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; color: #1c1c1c; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;"><br> </span><span style="border-image: initial; padding: 0cm; border: 1pt none windowtext;">The&nbsp;<strong>Bone Cancer Research Trust</strong>&nbsp;is a charity providing funding for research into primary bone cancer, raising awareness of the disease, providing patient information and support services.</span><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: &amp;amp;amp;quot; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; color: #1c1c1c; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 14.25pt; background: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: &amp;amp;amp;quot; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; color: #1c1c1c; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 14.25pt; background: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: &amp;amp;amp;quot; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; color: #1c1c1c; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">This will be my second marathon to fundraise for BCRT and I'm aiming to complete it in under 4hrs...time to get off the sofa and do some training! Please help me reach my target of &pound;2,000.&nbsp;</span><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong style="line-height: 14.25pt; background-color: white;"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: &amp;amp;amp;quot; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; color: #1c1c1c; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB;">Thank you and please give generously!</span></strong></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 14.25pt; background: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #1c1c1c;"><br></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: 14.25pt; background: white; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 14.25pt;">Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving &ndash; they&rsquo;ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they&rsquo;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&rsquo;s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.</span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p>