Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

I am raising funds for St.Mark’s because of the care they gave my husband, Drew Ford.  In January 2017 Drew woke with serious pain – we had no idea this was a symptom of an advanced bowel cancer.  However, what we did have was the good fortune that our nearest hospital trust, London North West, has within it St. Mark’s Hospital in Harrow. 

Drew had to have eight hours of emergency surgery, followed by nine sessions of chemotherapy, further surgery and recently had one of his regular CT scans, confirming he remains free of cancer.  Despite the trauma and toll this has all taken, it was a privilege to be treated by surgery and chemotherapy teams who had extensive experience of and totally understood the needs of bowel cancer patients.

I want to do the Colon Challenge to support the ongoing work of St. Mark’s Foundation and its vision for a future free from the fear of bowel disease.  Every penny I raise will go to the Foundation – we cover our own costs to participate (and give up precious annual leave!!).  St. Mark’s, next to Northwick Park Hospital, was the world's first specialist bowel hospital. In its 180th year, the hospital remains a world centre of excellence.  What Great Ormond Street does for children, St. Mark's does for all things bowel.  Bowel cancer is the second most common cancer (after lung cancer) and will almost certainly touch us all.  Also, how often does the chance come up to cycle the country in the shape of a colon?

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