On Saturday, August 8^th 2015 about 30 of us will be walking 10km along the Kent coast from Broadstairs to Margate to raise money to fight blood cancer. We're supporting two wonderful charities, MYELOMA UK and DELETE BLOOD CANCER UK. 

Please see below for more details, and the names of those walking!

About me: I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma (cancer of the bone marrow – a blood cancer) in September 2014. In May 2015 I underwent high-dose chemotherapy, followed by an autologous stem cell transplant (my own cells, not a donor’s).

Multiple myeloma cannot currently be cured, but the hope is that it will go away now for a good long time. A number of exciting developments in haematology mean that new drugs and treatments coming onto the market could bring major breakthroughs – not just for MM, but also for other blood cancers such as leukaemia and lymphoma. However, for many people with blood cancer, their only hope of survival is a donor stem cell transplant.

There are several ways you can support me, and I would be really delighted if you would!

1)  SPONSOR ME by donating to one (or both!) of these excellent charities.

2)  Come and WALK WITH ME on the day! I’m hoping we can make it a big event. Let me know if you can come, encourage people to sponsor you via this page, and hopefully we can raise even more money together! Departure will be at midday from beautiful Viking Bay in Broadstairs. The walk is detailed below (reverse it and omit Ramsgate).
http://www.walkingclub.org.uk/book_3/walk_101/ 

3)  REGISTER with DELETE BLOOD CANCER UK to become a potential stem cell donor. This would mean more to me than almost anything else. You could save a life with just a day of your time - and one day, that life could be mine.

https://www.deletebloodcancer.org.uk/en/register-now 

Donating stem cells is (apart from the prick of a couple of needles in your arms) entirely painless. Essentially, it’s like giving blood, except that it takes a few hours – and your blood comes straight back to you again, minus the stem cells! I had to provide my own stem cells prior to transplant, and I actually fell asleep. THIS is what is meant by a “bone marrow transplant”. These days, it’s only in around 10% of cases (for small children) that actual bone marrow is required. That's a minor procedure, with a needle, done under general anaesthetic, that leaves you with little more than a bruised hip. (I’ve had this done, too.)

4)  If you’re pregnant, or know someone who is, you/they can DONATE THE UMBILICAL CORD. The blood from the cord is then used for a stem cell donor transplant – saving the life of someone with blood cancer! What an amazing gift. Please spread the word.

There are currently ten hospitals in the UK with the facilities to do this:

London & environs: St George’s Hospital – UCH - King’s College Hospital – Barnet General – Northwick Park (Harrow) – Watford General

Luton: Luton & Dunstable Hospital

Manchester: St. Mary’s

Leicester: Royal Infirmary and Leicester General

http://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/cordblood/howtodonate/wherecanidonate/ 

ABOUT THE CHARITIES:

Ideally I’d like to split the donations, but JustGiving isn’t set up to do that, so I’ll just request that you bear this in mind when comparing the current totals. :-)

MYELOMA UK funds focussed, groundbreaking research into treatments for myeloma – the biggest blood cancer killer. It works closely with clinicians to ensure that the most promising research makes it out of the lab and into clinics as fast as possible, thereby benefiting patients.

http://www.myeloma.org.uk/about-us/ 

DELETE BLOOD CANCER UK is part of DKMS, the world’s largest stem cell donor centre. Launched in the UK just two years ago, it’s working tirelessly to raise awareness in the UK of the urgent need for stem cell donors, to dispel the myths surrounding donation, and to recruit potential donors up to age 55.

http://www.deletebloodcancer.org.uk/en/content/about-delete-blood-cancer-uk

Thank you all for your support.

Charlotte

TEAM SO FAR: Charlotte Collins, Georgie & Mel Ireland, Corinna Downing, Ruth & Bryn Martin, Nicky Smalley, Rosalind Harvey, Roland Glasser, Paul Russell Garrett, Morgan Giles, Franca Simpson, Louise Vale, Laura McGloughlin, Ruth Clarke, Chiara Salomoni, Ingrid Wassenaar, Sean, Saskia & Lukas Kirkegaard, Jo Impey, Natia Abramia, Irakli Imnaishvili, Jordan Kaplan & Kezia Cotterrell, Rory & Sophie Sutherland, Alexandre Martin, François-Xavier Mellah, Sheila Dillon, Devang Vaidya, Stewart Marquis, Sandra Hill, Thuranie Aruliah, David Middleton, Jade Fitton, Liz & Ed Bristow.