I've been a Head and Neck Macmillan specialist nurse for 10 years and have seen 100's of people effected by Head and Neck Cancer.

A little bit about it-

Head and neck cancers include cancers of the mouth and the throat, as well as some rarer cancers. These include cancer of the sinuses (air spaces in the bones of the face), the salivary glands, or the nose or middle ear.

Mouth cancer can develop on the lip, tongue, or anywhere inside the mouth. The most common places are the side of the tongue or floor of the mouth.

Throat cancer can mean different parts of the neck. When doctors talk about throat cancers, they mean the parts called the pharynx and the larynx (voicebox).

Cancers at the back of the tongue and in the tonsils (cancers of the oropharynx) have become more common over the past 20 years.

Many of these cancers are linked to infection with a type of virus called human papilloma virus 16 (HPV 16). HPV affects the skin and moist membranes lining the body, such as the mouth and throat.
Drinking heavily and smoking over many years, especially when you do both, are the main risk factors.

HANC - The aim of the Fund is to make life better for those diagnosed with head and neck cancer and to heighten awareness of the disease, enabling faster detection and early stage treatment.

The Northern Head and Neck Cancer Charity aims to aid:
funding of head and neck cancer awareness campaigns across the northern region – Northumberland, Newcastle, Sunderland, County Durham, Tynside and Cumbria
funding of equipment or services to improve the patient/carer experience. This can be something as simple as paying the parking for follow up visits to hospital, long stay patients TV costs or utility bills when patients are not able to work.

Me - I'm not that much of a cyclist so I'm training hard for this and it's going to be a real challenge. I love that I get to do this to raise money for HANC! It's an amazing charity so please donate if you can x