Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

In June 2017 I was diagnosed with breast cancer and it turned my whole world upside down. It was a massive shock to say the least, but what was even more astounding, was just how common it is. A massive 1 in 8 women are diagnosed with breast cancer - that's one woman in the UK being diagnosed every 10 minutes! And that's just breast cancer, never mind all the other types of this evil disease. Fortunately, survival rates are improving for breast cancer. Sadly this isn't the case for many other types of cancer, for example, one women in the UK will die every 2 hours from ovarian cancer. Therefore much more still needs to be done in terms of research, raising awareness and providing support through treatment.

The main source of support and information throughout my treatment came not just from the NHS but from Breast Cancer Care. Working closely with the NHS team, they have written hundreds of information leaflets answering all the questions surrounding cancer and its treatment. They have provided workshops, websites, courses and people to talk to whenever you need it. They were so helpful to me over the months following my treatment that I feel strongly about trying to give something back, so that they can continue to help the thousands of others who are hearing those dreadful words "you have cancer" and make it all a little less frightening.

Being diagnosed with breast cancer resulted in me having to give up my job as a Cycle Tour Leader, which I really loved, as I was too unwell from the treatment's side effects to cycle. I also had a lot of time off from my regular job working for ReCycle Bikes. As a way to get motivated to get back on the bike and start feeling positive about life, I signed up to cycle coast to coast across Costa Rica as a way to raise money for the Women v Cancer charities. These charities are Breast Cancer Care, Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust and Ovarian Cancer Action. 

The minimum amount of fundraising required to go on the trip is £1650. 100% of these funds will go directly to the Women v Cancer charities. There is also another £2000 to pay to cover the cost of travel, accommodation, food and other trip costs. I will be paying this amount myself, and not using any of the funds raised here to go towards the trip costs, as I intend to have a fun time and don't expect anyone else to have to pay for that!

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