We were one of the lucky ones.

It was back in April 2023 when my partner Sharon turned to me and announced "I think I have a lump".

The fact she had received a clean bill of health from a mammogram just a month or so earlier raised some concerns so she was sent off to the doctors to begin tests.

June saw the diagnosis come through - yes, it was cancer - but by the time November ended, not only had the cancer gone but all treatment and secondary ops had been completed too.

For me, there wasn't too much time to go into panic mode. The day of the announcement saw the inevitable tears from Sharon but I coped by allowing my journalistic brain to kick in.

Out came the questions - what do we do now, how bad is it, what are the options, what are the timescales?

The big one for me was "how do you feel about us getting a positive outcome?

The answer was "it'll be fine", or words to that effect. That calmed me down. The consultant wouldn't say that if they weren't convinced of success.

We still needed support and that's where the Breast Cancer Now team rose to unimaginable heights.

Nurses were assigned and were not only incredible with their level of care an knowledge, they would respond to any concerns very fast, even if they had to get back to you.

On top of that there were pamphlets and literature for pretty much every question you could think of. Even now Sharon is using some of the online stuff to answer questions I wouldn't have dreamed of but are in the mind of people going through this - where do I get a good bra from for example.

Appointments were made rapidly and concerns seen to almost at the drop of a hat. After the first op, where they cut the cancer out of the breast, she was worried about another lump on the side.

One phone call and one quick appointment later and she was told it was a combination of fluid and scar tissue and was fine. The fluid was removed and the concerns lifted.

Even the radiotherapy was pretty painless and done with a huge amount of care. Again though we were lucky, just one week of that was needed.

We came out of the other end humbled by the level of professionalism, the care and the general level of amazingness. We were also very sure that we had to do something just to say thank you.

For me it was the kick up the backside to haul my fat carcass back onto the bike. Ride London arrived very timely and when I found out Breast Cancer Now were involved, it was a no brainer.

And so here we are. May will see me pull on the charity's colours and take on the challenge. I've done Ride London before, the Surrey version anyway, but I'm older, fatter and way more unfit now.

My pain on the day though is miniscule in comparison though, that much has become abundantly clear in these last few months.

Some, many even, will not be as lucky as we were. They need support and they need the help of BCN.

And the staff should have every single amount of support that can possibly be given to not only help other people but themselves too.

Real heroes don't wear capes they saw and that is true.

Some of them do sport pink and yellow colours while at work though.

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 charity so it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

For the charity, for myself and for Sharon - many thanks for your support.