2018 has been a tough year for our family after losing our
nana who the matriarch of our whole family, however it was especially hard on my auntie Jan and uncle Chris.
Chris was first diagnosed with his tumour 18 years ago, in
2006 he underwent surgery and subsequent radiotherapy. Since then it has been followed up with regular scans and unfortunately in June it was discovered that the tumour was reactive again. Since then he has been given intense chemotherapy, in amongst all this Chris also suffered a stroke.
Since moving out to Stirling and seeing them daily, it has inspired me seeing how strong and positive the two of them have been the past few months. Jan and Chris' children, Marc and Abbie, are only 14 and 12 and this has been a very scary and difficult time for them. Speaking to Jan, you would have no idea she had just lost her mum and her husband was undergoing this treatment and the courage and selflessness she portrays is unbelievable. Nana's whole life was dedicated to her family and Chris' struggle was close to her heart and so to honour her memory I am going to challenge myself in 2019.
So in June next year in order to raise awareness and money
and for The Brain Tumour Charity I will be attempting to traverse the length of Britain on two wheels in the iconic John o'Groats to Land's End cycle. The Brain Tumour Charity is one of the more overlooked charities and deserves all the support it gets as brain tumours can happen to anyone and can devastate families. I only started cycling seriously a few months ago (I'd never worn lycra before September) so this will be a challenging endeavour that I will not take lightly. Thankfully to make the journey a bit more manageable my mum and dad have generously offered to support me by following me in a rented campervan
as I attempt to complete the ~1000 mile route in 9 days. To be honest, my mum only offered to follow me about the country after she realised she couldn't talk me out of it and couldn't sit at home worrying for 2 weeks. I haven't finalised my route yet, but will post updates once I have, in the meantime any donations and shares of this post would be hugely appreciated. Thank you.
The Brain Tumour Charity is at the forefront of the fight to defeat brain tumours, making a difference every day to the lives of people with a brain tumour and their families. We fund pioneering research to increase survival, raise awareness of the symptoms and effects of brain tumours and provide support for everyone affected to improve quality of life. We are committed to having the biggest possible impact for every person affected by a brain tumour, and to defending the most amazing part of the human body.
