Alex Salter
Alex's Ironman Wales Challenge
Fundraising for Linc The Leukaemia And Intensive Chemotherapy Fund
Story
On Sunday 15th September 2019 I will be attempting to swim 2.4 miles, cycle 112 miles and run 26.22 miles for LINC at the Ironman Wales triathlon in Tenby, Wales.
Ironman Wales will be the hardest sporting event I have ever done and I am sure I will be pushed to the very limit of what I am able to achieve. In fact 220 Triathlon magazines rates Ironman Wales as one of the 10 hardest Ironman races to complete!
There is no guarantee that I will be able to get round the course inside all of the various cut off times (swim 2:20 hours, bike 10:30 hours & last cut off is 17 hours for the swim, bike & run), but I can guarantee I will be giving it my all and using Katie's battle with cancer as a source of inspiration when things inevitably get tough. I have been training for the best part of a year for the race and have really given the preparation everything I could have given.
LINC are a charity which provide support to people undergoing Chemotherapy.
My Wife Katie had to undergo Chemotherapy during 2017 & 2018 after being diagnosed with Non Hodgkin's lymphoma at the age of 30. Throughout this treatment Katie had several hospital stays of up to a week at a time, mainly in the Rendcomb Ward Side rooms. We were very lucky, as some people can have to stay in hospital for much longer stints.
The Rendcomb Ward at Cheltenham General Hospital has eight high dependency individual side rooms where patients undergoing intensive chemotherapy can face months of treatment in isolation. This isolation is absolutely essential as patients are immune compromised and unable to fight even the smallest of infections. The air supply in the rooms is strictly controlled and patients’ diets are monitored, again to avoid any chance of infection.
LINC tries to provide some home comforts for the patients encased in these side rooms. Items such as reclining chairs, televisions with Sky, wi-fi, individual fridges and patient monitoring machines are to name a few.
These may seem like relatively small items, however they make a very difficult time just seem that little bit more bearable.
LINC also offer financial and psychological support for patients who may need it.
Katie is thankfully now in remission and so we are now in a position where we can give back a little bit to a charity which made one of the hardest times in our life that bit easier.
I would be very grateful for any donations that people feel they are able to give, every penny will be going to a fantastic cause as outlined above and will help push me around the course.