On Friday 13th December 2019,  Kelly and I received the devastating news that our then 5 year old son Isaac had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (ALL). From that moment our family lives would change forever. We spent the next 9 days at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, Ward 4 the Children's Cancer Ward, we have had many unplanned visits to the ward since then, often lasting a few days and we now visit the day unit (Ward 14) every other Thursday. As a family we were told that Isaac would become poorly due to the treatment he would receive, however nothing could prepare us for what was to come! Only those who have experienced similar situations can truly know what these children go through. The side effects can be hard, and the children can become very ill, this is often the part that friends and family can actually see. The part that people do not see or sometimes even think about is the mental stress that this courses the whole family, more so the child receiving treatment. Just getting the child to receive the treatment is sometimes harder than dealing with the actual side effects. Isaac would get very distressed when he new it was time for his port to be accessed (a small button implanted near his collarbone, in which chemo and other meds are given). It could take both parents, 2 nurses and a member of the play team to hold Isaac to allow the treatment to be given, all the time Isaac would be  crying and shouting for us to get off him. It sounds harsh and it was, but he needed the treatment to make him better. Over time Isaac has calmed down a lot, this is partly due to the amazing staff on the wards, including Isaacs favourite person, Lisa from the play team. Lisa has taken time to sit with Isaac and write down a plan so he feels as though he's in charge, he gives the nurse the nod and the needle goes in. No holding down or crying!  Isaac is now in remission and in the maintenance stage of his treatment, he will finish treatment on 16th April 2023.

 As well as funding vital research, The Children's Cancer North charity supply all sorts of treats and equipment for the play team to use. They fund things such as musicians who visit the wards, they give activity packs to children, give rewards to all those little fighters for being so brave, fund xmas parties on the wards and so much more. All of these help bring a smile to our little fighters faces and give a bit of happiness to the families who spend hours, days and weeks on the wards.  

On the 5th June, myself and those named are cycling from Loftus to RVI to raise funds for Children's Cancer North. The ride is approximately 73 miles, we will be doing a coastal route and stopping off at Coastguard stations along the way. This may not be a long ride for some people, however for most of those taking part in will be our longest ride to date (including myself). 

The group of cyclists are asking for YOUR help to keep this amazing charity doing what they do, bring a smile to those going through a living nightmare!

Shaun, Kelly, Isabelle and Isaac Winspear would like to thank all of those listed that are taking part in the ride and are supporting this great cause. It really does mean a lot!                                                 Thanks to HM Coastguard and family and friends who will be supporting us on the day, thanks to Rich Lynas who will be on hand for any medical issues and Dave Verrill who will monitor checkpoints and keep updates going on social media throughout the day.

The Photo is Isaac having fun with Lisa and orchestrating the band on the ward.

A piece from Children's Cancer North:  

Children's Cancer North is dedicated to making life better for children with cancer across the North East and Cumbria. Around 100 children from across the region are newly diagnosed with cancer every year and come to the Great North Children's Hospital in Newcastle for their treatment. Children's Cancer North aims to improve their quality of life through transforming the environment and play experience on the wards, providing access to potentially life saving clinical trials and funding revolutionary research to find more effective treatments.