July 2023 sees the third edition of the annual charity bike ride ‘Raptör’ which sees professionals from the insurance industry coming together to help raise funds and awareness for Action Medical Research. This year we have partnered up with Lloyd's as a new corporate sponsor and the ride will take us from the London home of the market to Brussels which is the base of Lloyd's in Europe.

Our daughter and family went through a very difficult time when she was diagnosed with Leukaemia as a baby, and we feel truly lucky that advances in medical science mean she’s still with us today. This has given me a real drive to try to help others now and in the future who can benefit from medical advances in helping children with illnesses.

In our case, the diagnosis was a bolt from the blue - we were due to go on our summer holiday and instead spent months in hospital fearing for the worst. As our daughter also has immune deficiencies she was admitted as an inpatient into hospital and went through weeks of intensive treatment and care. It was an absolute rollercoaster, and a huge strain on our family, but we had amazing news when the chemo worked and April went into remission. This was just over 10 years ago now and I’m delighted to say it’s been cancer-free so far.

April also has Downs Syndrome which is a condition caused by an extra chromosome, something she was born with, and causes global developmental delays (physical and cognitive). I didn’t know much about Downs Syndrome when April was born, so it was very daunting and nothing can prepare you for the shock of the diagnosis. Understanding the condition took months and, like everyone else, people with Downs Syndrome are unique in character and abilities so we’re constantly learning about what motivates, frustrates and inspires April. At times it is very challenging but over the years April has shown us that any preconceptions are nonsense and we’re trying to support her to live her life to the full. I am constantly inspired by April's attitude, determination and grit – she faces more challenges than almost everyone and yet sets her mind on what she wants to do and does not waver! 

Over the years, Action Medical Research has funded research projects in childhood cancers, including a current project investigating new treatments for childhood leukaemia. They've also funded down syndrome research, including a project which helped to improve understanding of the visual abilities and difficulties faced by children with Down syndrome and research to improve screening to help early diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnoea in children with Down syndrome.