PLANETS Cancer Charity helps patients with Pancreatic, Liver, colorectal, gastric, oesophageal And NeuroEndocrine Tumours by funding patient support groups, innovative treatments and research. Since 2011 they have raised more than £2,200,000! It’s close to my heart because it was established by close friends and I’ve gone on to sub-specialise to look after this particular group of amazing patients.

This is the link to the Charity home page:

https://planetscharity.org/about/planets-charity/

In the current, cost-cutting NHS environment, research and innovation is in danger of being sidelined. The PLANETS team aim to ensure that patients across our region and further afield still have access to the best available care.

You will know that my extensive army training including the gruelling assault courses, forced marches carrying the weight of a dead bloke and crawling through sewers in the middle of the night did little to make me a better doctor on the front line but still managed to leave me as the most unfit soldier in NATO. I must confess, that after all the bike training I am now probably the most unfit soldier OUT of NATO.

In spite of this, I’m going to attempt a 100 mile bike ride, starting at dawn in Winchester and finishing before dusk (hopefully the same day!) near the Bristol Channel.

In order to make sure I’m finished and back in time to anaesthetise three of my liver patients on Monday, I’ve had a dose of realism and switched to an e-bike! I’m optimistic that I will finish the ride over about 12 hours (with some breaks).

As just one example, we’re hoping to buy a special ventilator to allow us to treat tiny liver tumours using microwave ablation under safer and more effective general anaesthesia which will cost in excess of £30k. There are many more things the charity does to support patients personal, social and clinical needs.

If you can spare a few pennies to help support PLANETS it will help me justify all that army training and put it to good use. Thank you in advance!