This bike ride is to raise money for the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (CHECT), a charity that provided invaluable support to my little nephew Alfie, his mum, older brother and his dad.  

The photo of Alfie shows that he has 'white eye', a key sign of Retinoblastoma (RB) but little known.  In January 2013, aged 10 months Alfie's mum and dad noticed an unusual look in his eye that was a bit like a squint.  After speaking to a GP friend they took him to a local optician where he was referred the the hospital and diagnosed with Retinoblastoma. 

RB is a rare disease that mainly affects children under 5.  One of the ways which it can be detected is by taking a flash photograph on a mobile phone.  If a pupil is white then this may be a sign of Eye Cancer and it should be checked out.  Much more information can be found on the CHECT website (http://www.chect.org.uk/cms/index.php/signs-and-symptoms).

Alfie endured a year of chemotherapy.  He then had the eye removed in October 2013 and an artifical eye fitted soon after.  His treatment ended in February 2014 and he has had regular hospital appointments to monitor him ever since.  It is now 3 years since he finished treatment and he is showing no signs of disease and doing really well!

CHECT have a wealth of knowledge on RB and their website in particular was invaluable to Alfie's mum and dad during the early days, to help them to understand the disease and read stories of others affected by it.  The charity supported them through the treatment in whatever way they could and the family will be forever grateful for the help they provided.

I'm doing a 300 mile bike ride from London to Paris with other cyclists who are supporting and fundraising for CHECT.  Those of you who know me know that I've been on an 'extended hiatus' from the bike since my Lands End to John O' Groats charity ride for The Christie...for 6 years.  I'm unfit and I have a dodgy knee - help spur me on and raise some money for this cracking cause! 

Thanks so much.  

Paul x

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