Thank you very much for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

My son Harry (15) and I (now 50!) are mountain biking the ‘Haute Route’ from Mont Blanc to the Matterhorn starting on 24th July for a planned trip of 8 days. The idea was first conceived in the winter and our first thoughts were a 3 day trip in the Lake District. This quickly escalated to what is regarded as the premier Alpine mountain bike tour.

So why are we asking you to sponsor us by giving some money to The Royal National Orthopedic Hospital (RNOH) Stanmore? A lot of you will know that Harry was diagnosed with a comparatively rare aggressive benign bone tumor when aged 3. He underwent 9 operations between the ages of 3 and 9 all of which were carried out at RNOH. You will see from his story below that he had a successful outcome in the end and has in the process earned himself a paragraph in Wikipedia (http://www.wikidoc.org/index.php/Ilizarov_apparatus) him being the first person to have undergone this procedure - at the time it was presented to us the last resort.

When we first contacted our guide for the trip (who has 18 years experience) he discovered that not only had we not been mountain biking in the Alps before but that Harry was 15 (the youngest to do this route so far is 17).  Signing up was conditional upon an assessment w/e being completed and to my delight the purchase of two new bikes as our then current ones were not spec’d up for serious Alpine riding. Both conditions now satisfied we are using the last few days making sure we have the right kit – spare brake pads, inner tubes , spokes , plenty of socks, a few shirts and suitably padded underwear!

The basic statistics on the ride are quite formidable; the cumulative pedaled climb is 29,200 ft (Everest is 29,028 ft), the cumulative descent will be nearly double that – we catch any chair lift/cable car going to provide some of the most spectacular single track descents some of which are over 6,500 ft of non- stop vertical descent .  Having completed the assessment w/e five weeks ago I can say that I am totally amazed at what these bikes can do – the ground is either steep and very rocky with frequent vertical drop offs of varying heights or even steeper with tree routes everywhere and these very tricky ‘switchback’ turns on a descent ( a full lock 180o turn which are found in groups of 10 to 60 one after the other).

 

A bit more detail on why RNOH - The first two operations to remove the tumor (the second involving the complete removal of the affected tibia bone and it’s replacement with the fibula bone from his other leg) were proven to be unsuccessful we were faced with a very real possibility that he might lose the lower half of his left leg as there were no other recognised procedures that could deliver the result we needed. However the two surgeons (Mr Tim Briggs and Mr Fergal Monsell) came up with a plan which as we were told at the time was ‘trail blazing’. It involved the use of a Russian invented ‘Ilizarov’ frame and with this fixed to the outside of his leg and with us turning 8 X 10mm nuts 4 times a day we were able to ‘grow’ a whole new tibia by dragging the small section of tibia left below his knee down to his ankle over a period of 9 months.  This was successful but the new bone broke soon afterwards and after two more operations and a bone graft the leg was finally fixed.

 

The result of all these operations is that Harry did not really have the opportunity to partake in any meaningful way in sport until he was 10. It was difficult for him as any of you that have had children excluded from any sporting activity through long term illness or disability will know. As parents you feel unable to do anything to help and you feel desperately sorry for your child. The knock on into the child’s self esteem is very apparent and unavoidable.

 

Harry has been lucky enough to have discovered rowing when he went to Byanston two years ago. Having found a sport that he loves and that he started at the same time as everyone else has given him the opportunity to apply himself 100% knowing that he could at last compete on a level playing field. He is completing in the J15 National Championships next week end in a single and he will be ecstatic to make it to the final – we will see.

 

It is only now that  we can really look back and appreciate what fixing Harry’s leg has meant to him and it is for that reason that he and I want to raise money for the RNOH. (the funds will go directly to the bone tumor department). In addition and by unwelcome coincidence my niece is having an operation at RNOH whilst we are on our trip for acute Scoliosis. RNOH is a national centre of excellence for the treatment of Scoliosis and Charlotte who is 15 will undergo this major operation on July 29th. She will be in the same ward that Ruth and Harry and I have spent many days and nights over the years. 

 
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the RNOH and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. I am also donating 50% of all the money raised so if you give £25 RNOH will receive £45 including the giftaid credit. Should you prefer to send a cheque please make it out to RNOH and sent to my home address which is: The Old Rectory, Duncton, Petworth West Sussex, GU28 0JZ,So go on dig deep – This is the first time we have ever asked for sponsorship and with all the hours spent training over the winter and in the gym we want something worthwhile to show for it!

 

With our very best wishes and thanks

 

 

Jeremy and Harry Aitchison