Hi I’m Bethan, thank you for visiting my page. I've chosen to complete Swim for Sarcoma UK challenge, swimming 15km in 31 days for Sarcoma UK, a national charity that funds vital research, offers support for anyone affected by sarcoma cancer and campaigns for better treatments

For those who don’t know, earlier this year I was diagnosed with Leiomyosarcoma, which is a rare type of soft tissue cancer. A leiomyosarcoma starts from cells in smooth muscle tissues, muscles that we have no control over and are also known as involuntary muscles. They are in the walls of muscular organs like the stomach and heart as well as the walls of blood vessels. This means leiomyosarcoma can start anywhere in the body.

Mine originated from my gonadal vein where my tumour grew to the size of a 13cm ball. Whilst this may sound (and it certainly felt) large, it’s actually small in comparison to the majority of other cases. This is because sarcomas are still relatively unheard of and there has been a serious lack of research in the area so the diagnosis process is not straightforward. By supporting me, we can help change this. Your donation will help researchers find answers, keep the specialist Support Line open, and raise awareness to improve treatment and standards of care.

Your donations will go so far in helping the sarcoma community:

£1 Could cover the cost of 12 texts to the support line.

£5 Could purchase 50 petri dishes, which researchers use to grow cells in the laboratory.

£30 Could fund one hour of use of a high-powered laboratory microscope.

Thank you for your support!