Greetings :) My name is Rachel and thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

As you can see from my profile picture I am an unlikely athlete. Finding me at the gym pumping iron is rare and cycling is far from my forté, yet I am about to embark on a 26mile bikeathon for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research and here is my story why...

Leukaemia is the most common form of cancer in children. In October 2002, when I was aged 9, I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. As I did not possess the classic symptoms for Leukaemia, I had countless medical tests run on me including MRI scans and CT scans, before a bone marrow test confirmed I had the condition. Following my diagnosis, I immediately began intensive treatment at Yorkhill Children's Hospital. For the next two years, I spent a lot of my time in hospital. The treatment was gruelling and left me tired, nausious and in a lot of pain. Losing all my hair, a few months into the treatment was devastating. I was also more prone to infection as my white blood cell counts were low. In the winter of 2003 I contracted pneumonia whilst I was halfway through my treatment and a few months later I suffered from chicken pox, both of which had a particularly detrimental effect on my health and resulted in my treatment being prolonged and an unwanted hospital stay. For every painful injection, hospital visit and tear, my incredable family and friends were there to support me and thankfully, the rest of my treatment went fairly straightforward.

I finally got the all clear at the end of 2004, a few days before Christmas and I have been able to lead a normal life ever since. I am currently a student at Glasgow University studying dentistry and am enjoying every moment of it.

Thanks to the amazing work which Leukaemia and Lymphoma research have done and continue to do, I am a survivor of Leukaemia and the prognosis for others with blood cancers has significantly improved over the decades. By supporting the charity I hope that through research, one day a cure will be found and the treatment for the condition will be less severe and toxic, so no other child and their family will have to suffer the pain and uncertainty mine did.

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