As many of you know, 4 years ago I was hit by a car travelling on the wrong side of the road while cycling in .  The accident left me in intensive care for a week, and in hospital for a further 4 weeks.  I suffered multiply injuries, including a degloving injury to my lower leg, severe damage to the ligaments of my knee, and an open fracture to my femur.  At the time I was a triathlete that has just been selected to join the age-group GB team.  Not only was I training for the European Triathlon Championships and the World Duathlon Championships, but I was also training for Ironman .  Needless to say, I never got the chance to compete for my country, or complete one of the most gruelling endurance events around.  I was told I would never compete again.

 

Since then I have had 27 hours of surgery to date, and am told I could still have more.  But this has not stopped me doing the things I want and love to do.  A year to the day after my accident I made it to the top of on crutches in winter conditions!  However, one thing I am still to conquer is getting back into cycling.  I know now that I will never return to triathlon as I can no longer run without sustaining serious pain to my knee, and while I don’t find riding my bike a problem mentally, I have never been able to regain my motivation for the sport…until now.  The event I have chosen to do is a 100 mile cycle ride, and I’m sure that you’ll agree, that if I achieve this, it would be no mean feat. 

I know now that I must do this.  This is my closure.  By doing this I can finally say: now I am over my accident, I am over my injuries.  I can start living my life again without the constant nag of wondering what could have been if I haven’t have been hit that day. 

I have decided to do this event raising money for the Scottish SPCA.  As you may know, my husband, Simon, and I are desperate for a dog.  We are already parents without the child.  Unfortunately at the moment, we can not have a dog, as we do not have the money and space necessary to provide them with a happy home.  I feel that while we can not have our own dog, I could try and help others.  The Scottish SPCA is an animal welfare charity that receives no government or lottery funding and relies on public donations to continue their vital work rescuing and rehoming 's abandoned, neglected and defenceless animals.  Needless to say, I believe this to be an extremely worthwhile charity.

I hope my story has inspired you to sponsor me, and hope I have not bored you too much!  Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.