On the 10th of September us three siblings, Elliot, Luke and Alice will be abseiling 160ft down St Thomas's hospital, taking in the view of Westminster as we put our faith in a rope. This in aid of our mother who has a rare type of blood cancer. The money raised will go MPN Voice (Guy's and St Thomas's Charity) to help fund better treatments and cure, as there currently is not one.

Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MPNs) are rare cancers that strike at the bone marrow, destabilising the body’s mechanism for controlling blood cell levels. 

The diseases can rocket blood cell counts up, or push counts down to extremely low levels.

The most common MPNs are called Essential Thrombocythaemia (ET) and Polycythaemia Vera (PV). In these types of MPNs, blood production over-heats, the body begins to produce high levels of ‘sticky’ blood cells. These abnormal blood cells adhere to each other and to blood vessel walls, clogging blood flow. High cell counts and sticky cells put people with these types of MPNs at high risk of heart attack, stroke and deep vein thrombosis.

In some sufferers the disease damages the blood production system to such an extent that a more dangerous form of MPN emerges, called Myelofibrosis (MF). Myelofibrosis is an aggressive type of MPN that causes bone marrow to fail, halting blood cell production. Myelofibrosis is a very rare but devastating illness, treatment choices are limited and fraught with risks. 

Some people with MPNs can also develop an aggressive form of leukaemia. 

Experts are stumped as to what causes MPNs. 

Researchers in the field hope to understand more about the mechanisms behind these diseases so that they offer people with MPNs better treatments and ultimately a cure.

Thanks for taking the time to visit our JustGiving page.... Any donations would be appreciated, as it is going to be very high up there!!

Elliot Luke and Alice