Andy Wicking
Andrew's Beyond the ultimate ice challenge page
Fundraising for Neuroblastoma UK
Story
Starting on Friday the 24th February i will be competing in a 230km foot race split into 5 stages taking in Arctic tundra and frozen lakes all set against a back drop of white topped mountains.
The days are short and the course is long; runners should expect long periods running in darkness, following a marked route by head torch, under skies free of light pollution and filled with stars and sightings of aurora.
As a self-sufficient race you are responsible for carrying your entire kit, including food, safety equipment and a minimum of 1.5 litres of water which can be re-filled at checkpoints along the stages. You’ll need some specialist gear to take on the conditions the Arctic Circle can throw at you.
Accommodation each night is provided by way of remote huts and teepee tents with open fires for warmth.
I am doing this in memory of a very dear friend who's daughter sadly lost her life to childhood cancer. please read the story below and thank you in advance for your donations.
Lizzy had an incredibly rare strain of a very rare and aggressive childhood cancer. She was diagnosed with stage 4 high risk Neuroblastoma in January last year. This affects around 25% of the 100 children a year who get this disease. She was, staggeringly, 1 of only 15 children in the UK being treated at this level. Sadly, current treatments can be ineffective if a child's tumours have an amplification of the MYC-N gene. After responding incredibly well to her first 10 rounds of chemo, Lizzy completely stopped responding to any UK treatments available and the disease raged through her little body, taking control in a matter of weeks. THIS IS SEEN IN ONLY 1 OR 2 CHILDREN A YEAR IN THE ENTIRE UK. She lived only 3 weeks after we were told the cancer was deemed no longer curable.
In the weeks to follow, a new diagnosis was heard. Lizzy had ULTRA HIGH RISK NEUROBLASTOMA. This refers to a child that does not survive beyond the 1st 6 months. Sadly this diagnosis cannot be applied until after death, because doctors can't predict how each child's tumours will behave.
At the moment there are many efforts being made in clinical studies to find treatments to control the gene that causes this, none yet successful.
Funds are desperately needed to progress research to the point where other little angels, like our baby, don't have to suffer and die at the hands of what is otherwise a rampant disease. On average 50% of children survive at least 5 years or more..... and 50% dont.