Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’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’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.

 

Shortly before a walking trip to the Austrian Alps, which was organised to celebrate his 70th birthday, Dad started to experience back pain, high up between his shoulder blades. This would often be excruciating when running and reaching to make a tennis shot, or a golf swing. It is fair to say it slowed him down in the Alps, typically he put his tiredness down to the altitude. 

On getting home he was found to have a collapsed vertebra due to Myeloma. This is a malignant condition caused by an eroding overgrowth of cells in the bone marrow. 

Dad was lucky to receive superb treatment from all the staff at the Royal Preston Hospital. Special mention must go to Drs Flaherty and Raposa, their nurses in the haematology department , and the excellent and caring treatment that Dad received on the Coronary Care Unit. 

He benefitted from new and highly effective treatments which prolonged his life for 4 years. During this time he was able to enjoy holidays, family occasions and for the most part remained active and made us laugh. He lived life to the full , and despite his obvious distress remained full of fun and mischief right to the end .

He died in October of last year, since when I've had it in my mind to do something requiring more than a little effort but enjoyable and memorable, on which to hang a fund raising event.

  When friends mentioned a Lands End to John O’Groats cycle ride , it seemed the perfect challenge, and a tribute to my Dad.

I want to raise money for Myeloma research, so that others with thisillness can benefit from further advances in treatment. 

Bicycle purchased, training commenced, dodgy lycra etc, and a route largely agreed which will take us 1000 miles in 11 days . The start date is set for 5^th May 2011. 

I hope to raise a sum of £2000 towards Myeloma research and would be very pleased if you could help me towards and hopefully beyond this target. No amount is too small, nor it has to be said too big. 

I will be covering all of the costs myself and all donated money will go towards the Myeloma UK charity. This charity raises awareness of this illness, provides support and advice to patients and carers, and funds research into developing new treatments.

Thank you for taking the time to read this, I hope you can contribute to a worthwhile cause. I if you want to,  ...do it now and save yourself the hassle of having to find this page again .

Cheers

Andrew