Due to lockdown we have been unable to train and compete in the Southern Universities Trampoline League (SUTL). We want to do something to compensate for this and raise money for a cause that is close to the hearts of our team. So we're running, cycling, and jogging 356.5 miles for Blood Cancer UK throughout March. Why 356.5 miles? This is the distance from Reading to each of the 5 Universities we should have travelled to for SUTL comps this year. 

Why Blood Cancer UK?

Here's Bethany's story:

Unexpectedly in 2017 I lost my dad to a rare form of blood cancer at 52. He had been receiving treatment for 4 years. Blood cancer is the 5th most common cancer in the UK and the most common cancer in children. 3 weeks prior to losing my dad we were riding on the back of a banana boat in Majorca, but little did I know it would be our last family holiday and the last memory we would make together. Soon after we got back, my dad was put on a ventilator where he never woke up. Not being able to say goodbye to my dad was heart-breaking and the hardest challenge I will ever face. Moving forward to 2021 we are still affected by our story every single day. There is so much I wish I could tell my dad, things I wanted him to know and see like all our adventures and my achievements, seeing my brother graduate and being proud of where his whole family are today. Sadly, we are not the only family going through this and that is exactly why fundraising for charities such as Blood Cancer UK is so important. Not only does blood cancer affect those who are suffering from it, but it also affects the entire family. Watching my dad become frustrated with himself or deal with the everyday challenges or harsh treatments he had to endure, had a real effect on everyone, it wasn’t just his journey it was ours as well. 40,000 people are diagnosed each year with around 15,000 deaths every year too. One in every 22 women and one in every 16 men will get blood cancer in their lives. Although it causes the third highest deaths from cancer, the awareness of these vicious diseases is very low compared to other cancers. Blood cancer UK fund 95 different research projects around the UK and every single pound counts to find more effective treatments and cures to help people like my dad. The fewer people who have to go through a journey similar to mine the better. Please donate anything you can to such an amazing charity to help make a difference to so many patients and their family’s lives.