Thank you for visiting my page. I've chosen to complete the Step into Spring challenge, walking 100 miles in 30 days for Sarcoma UK, a national charity that funds vital research, campaigns for better treatments and offers support for anyone affected by sarcoma cancer. Sarcoma is a type of cancer that develops in the bone and soft tissue. It is difficult to diagnose and one of the hardest to treat. 

As many of you know, my gorgeous daughter Pippa was diagnosed in 2009 with a rare type of sarcoma cancer called Paediatric Wild-type GIST (Gastro Intestinal Stromal Tumour). Over the past 14 years, she's had to endure numerous operations to remove recurring tumours and after a few years clear, she's found out another two pesky GIST tumours have appeared. Many of you have generously supported our fundraising efforts over the years, and will be well aware of how positive a person Pippa is, and this time it's no different. What is different this time round however, is that surgery isn't an ideal option, and with little to no suitable treatments available to target her type of cancer, she's currently waiting to see whether she'll be accepted on any suitable trials her specialists feel might be worth trying, if only to keep the new tumours stable, until something better comes along! We've learnt first hand over the last few months that whilst treatment options are limited, the number of trials being talked about or considered, is significantly more than when she was first diagnosed - which is a huge step forward!

So, in support of Pippa and all those affected by sarcoma cancer, I'll be donning my new walking boots and attempting to walk 100 miles in April.

Any support given to Sarcoma UK will help researchers find answers, keep the specialist support line open, and raise awareness to improve treatment and standards of care. Your donations go so far in helping the sarcoma community: £1 could cover the cost of 10 texts to the support line. £10 could be used to buy microscope slides to look at cells in minute detail. £30 could fund one hour of use of a high-powered laboratory microscope. £150 could fund the support line for a week.

Thank you for taking the time to read why I've decided to take on this challenge - if you feel able to make a donation, no matter how small, it really does mean the world! 

Leigh xx