On 1st July 2023 we will be taking part in the Midnight Walk for St Luke's Hospice. It's an 11 mile walk with the aim to raise as much as we can for this amazing place which provides such a vital service.  Sadly nowadays we probably all know somebody who had been affected by cancer, and even once your treatment has finished you can be left with long lasting side effects.  For me following the removal of my lymph nodes I have been left with lymphoedema in my right hand, this is a condition which cannot be cured but can be managed with exercises and a compression garment. I am lucky enough to be able to access the lymphoedema clinic at St Luke's and to be under the care of the lymphoedema nurses there who are excellent.  In addition to this the medication which I have to take for the next 10 years requires me to have regular blood tests. These aren't blood tests which can be carried out at the local GP surgery they have to be done by a Christie's phlebotomist. St Luke's offers a bloods closer to home service so I am able to go there every few weeks rather than having a 2 hour round trip to Manchester.  Even though my active treatment has finished St Luke's still continue to offer much needed support.  Only 15% of their funding is provided by the government so they rely heavily on donations and fundraising. It costs them almost £10,000 per day to keep their doors open so every penny really does count.