Thanks for taking the time to visit the Mid Life Cyclists Just giving page.

We're riding again!!!!!  (Sadly minus one who is holidaying )

I know.... i know ....This is very late in the day to be sending this out but the mission is to raise a very swift £1000 (only £10/mile)

We'll be riding 100 miles through london and the hills of surrey with 25,000 other lycra clad peddlers.

We are undertaking this challenge to support the Anthony Nolan Trust.

Background....

 This is a charity that was set up in the name of a boy who was born in 1971 with a condition called Wiscot-Aldrich Syndrome.

 Wiscott-Aldrich Syndrome (WAS) is a rare genetically inherited immunodeficiency disease that occurs almost exclusively in males. (1 in 250,000 births)

As it affects the function of the white blood cells patients with Classic WAS are susceptible to many serious conditions such as leukaemia, lymphoma, and autoimmune disorders.

The only proven cure so far for this condition is a bone marrow or cord blood transplant.  Successfully transplanted patients go on to lead normal lives, completely free from the disease.  For patients with Classic WAS who do not undergo a transplant, the reported life expectancyis between 8-14 years

Sadly Anthony Nolan died in 1979 as a donor could not be found for his transplant procedure. Following this failed search Anthony’s mother Shirley founded the Charity with the intention of creating a larger database of willing donors.

This database is now available for patients of blood diseases that require treatment.

 Lucas' Story

Shortly after he was born my youngest son Lucas was diagnosed with (WAS) which was a devastating blow for my family.

Fortunately, help was at hand from the amazing NHS whose Great Ormond St Hospital is one of the world leaders in treatment of this condition. The transplant team at Great Ormond Street are heavily dependent on the Anthony Nolan Trust to provide donor matches for many of their child transplant patients who don’t have a compatible donor within their family.

 For us parents, the only thing more daunting than our little baby undergoing  chemo-therapy as part of his Bone Marrow Transplant was the prospect of not finding a donor to provide the cells needed to cure him.

 Thanks to the amazing work of the Anthony Nolan Trust a donor search was conducted on their database and one month later we had a 100% match

We have never been so grateful or moved as we were when a small red bag of donor cells arrived at Lucas’ hospital bedside and was infused into his little body. This amazing gift had arrived from an organisation We had never before heard of...but we certainly know them now!

We're happy to report that the amazing team at Gt Ormond St cured Lucas of his condition and he is now leading a perfectly normal life.……Amazing!

I know not much forward notice but Please donate what you can to help this amazing charity.....trust me....its money well spent.

Thanks

Ben and Andy (and Alasdhair & Rob - in spirit)

The Midlife Cyclists