Thanks for visiting my JustGiving page.

In June 2023, I will be tackling the Tour 21 on behalf of Cure Leukaemia.  Alongside 24 other amateur cyclists, I will aim to complete the entire Tour de France route one week ahead of the professionals.  Starting in Bilbao and finishing on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, Tour 21 will take place from Friday 23rd June until Saturday 16th July, tackling all 21 stages and 3,500km of the Tour de France - one of the world's most gruelling sporting challenges.

I've included a few details about Cure Leukaemia and my own connection with blood cancer below.  I hope that hearing about the work they do will motivate you to donate to this cause.

If you'd like to follow my progress in the run-up to and during the event, please find me on FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/david.brayshaw.165/

My connection to blood cancer

I’d seen other people suffer through cancers and Leukaemia before – and my uncle died from a different form of cancer while he was in his early twenties – but my own connection to cancer really began when I was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma in December 2016.  We suspect that my cancer had probably been growing quietly for several years but it wasn't until September 2016 that it began to show the first noticable symptoms with a cough that just wouldn't go away.

On investigation, a large lump (over 10cm) was found in under my arm and across the left side of my chest but thankfully it hadn't spread to other areas of my body. I had several months of chemo- and radio-therapy which started in January 2017, and I emerged from the treatment three weeks before my second child, Tommy, arrived in June. I finally got confirmation that the cancer was gone a few weeks later.

The outlook for me was always positive but the period of waiting for a diagnosis and undergoing the treatment was hard for all my family.  The treatment itself - even the chemo – was unpleasant but thankfully not too bad.  Effects vary from person to person but, apart from feeling pretty rubbish for a few days once a fortnight, it was quite bearable really.  The worst bit was having to have my wife and daughter move out from our house for a few months as my lack of immune system really wasn't working well with having a toddler at home.  Effectively, I discovered what it meant to be in lockdown that year, well before the term became fashionable with the outbreak of Covid.

As I’ve said above, however, I’ve seen and heard from others who have suffered much worse than I did from cancer and Leukaemia. Many are not as lucky as I was, whether through harsh side effects of treatment, failing to achieve a fully recovery, or even more sadly, not being able to free themselves from the cancer at all. A side-note to my own story was the experience of seeing someone really suffering from cancer first-hand during treatment: I can vividly remember being in hospital for chemo one day and the man in the bed next to me visibly panicking, breaking down into tears when the doctor told him he needed another lumbar puncture as part of his treatment (he ultimately refused to go ahead with it that day – I don’t know what happened to him after that).

Years of medical research and clinical trials made my particular form of blood cancer recognisable and treatable – and this is where Cure Leukaemia’s work is so vital.  They support a network of specialist nurses across the UK, funding the Trials Acceleration Programme (TAP) to enable the rapid setup and delivery of blood cancer clinical trials, giving over 20 million people access to potentially lifesaving treatments otherwise not available through standard care pathways.  On a more day-to-day level, specialist nurses provide day-to-day support to patients and their families, helping them understand and take control of their care (during my treatment, my specialist nurse – Sarah – was a massive help, keeping track of my care and explaining clear and simple terms what was going on at a very confusing and confused time in my life).

During my treatment, my wife made the brave decision to buy me a fancy new bike as a 'recovery present'. I’ve been lucky enough to be able to put that to good use in a number of cycling events raising money for cancer charities (London-Paris, Prudential London, Fred Whitton). This, however, will be my biggest challenge by an order of magnitude! I think I can do it, and I hope you’ll support me in donating money to this fantastic cause because:

•    With research and clinical trials, we can improve cancer treatment and increase the odds of survival and recovery.

•    With specialist nurses, more patients facing cancer get the support and care they need.

•    With your help, we can beat cancer.

About Leukaemia and blood cancer

Blood cancer is the 5th most common type of cancer.  It covers a spectrum of diseases, from leukemias to lymphomas and myelomas, and each year claims more lives than breast or prostate cancer (it is the 3rd biggest cancer killer in the UK). 

Donations

I'm paying all entrance/participation fees for the event myself directly (i.e., none of the money raised here will be used to cover my own costs or participation).  Any donations made here will go directly to Cure Leukaemia.