On the 30th July 2017 I will be cycling 100 miles in the RideLondon-Surrey 100, in honour of my friend Keith.

Keith and I had some great adventures together. One night that stands out is a bivvy in the middle of February. Keith suggested we ‘dine out’ and have a barbeque. When we arrived at our spot for the night Keith disappeared behind a tree and returned with a huge drybag containing a barbeque and a selection of BBQ food. The three of us sat there in the woods, eating burgers and veggie kebabs, chatting rubbish like it was a perfectly normal thing to be doing at midnight in February!!

Keith entered the leukaemia ward early 2015. I was keen to visit but at the time I had a swollen gland and was concerned about breaking the ‘no infections’ rule. We communicated via email and Keith mentioned joining the Anthony Nolan bone marrow register. I sent off my details straight away, wondering if I could be a match for someone.

The lump in my neck turned out not to be an infection but a cancerous tumour in my parotid gland . I spent most of 2015/ 2016 being investigated, having a full parotidectomy and finally a six week course of radiotherapy.

During this time Keith’s condition deteriorated and he lost his battle with leukaemia aged just 35. Fuck you cancer.

I promised Keith I'd join the bone marrow register. I can't because I got cancer too. Then I missed his funeral as I was in radiotherapy. Instead of joining the register i'm going to raise £1000 to support it. Thank you for helping me achive my target.

Every day, Anthony Nolan saves the lives of people with a blood cancer or blood disorder. They do this by matching incredible individuals willing to donate their stem cells, to people who desperately need a lifesaving transplant. They also carry out cutting edge scientific research, fund specialist post-transplant nurses and support patients and their families through the transplant process and beyond. They won’t stop until they save the lives of everyone who needs a stem cell transplant. Every penny you donate brings them closer to that day.