In the early hours of Christmas Day, 5 weeks ago, when we should have been together as a family, my mother's heart 'crashed' for the fourth time in twelve hours - My mother, 53, looks after herself, regularly playing tennis, cycling, exercising at the gym, or more recently 'virtually' at home; she is fit & strong but if she had not been under the care of Royal Papworth Hospital on Christmas morning when the beating of her heart very nearly stopped, she would no longer be with us...

Cardiomyopathy is one of the UK's biggest killers, responsible for approximately 1 in 4 deaths. Despite this, research funding is severely limited. In the UK alone, cancer research receives 5 times the funding allocated to heart disease, although heart disease affects over three times as many people.

My mother was in intensive care for 48 hours and spent 15 nights in the Royal Papworth, a hospital which treats some of the most life threatening conditions within the NHS. Despite the wonderful care of the doctors, nurses and chaplain, her family and friends didn't know whether she would make it home again - we were so worried & couldn't sleep -(we couldn't visit her because of the Covid-19 pandemic). It was a very scary time. As a thank you to Royal Papworth and for all those who might find themselves in similar circumstances, I will cycle 48km (on a Watt bike) every day for 15 days, starting on Wednesday 27th January & finishing on Wednesday 10th February, to try and raise at least £5000 for the new Heart and Lung Research Institute (HLRI) on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus beside Royal Papworth.

Working in partnership, Royal Papworth Charity and the School of Clinical Medicine at Cambridge University, aim to provide solutions and are contributing over £5 million to support the build of the HLRI, ensuring its patients have access to the best scientific research and treatment. The HLRI will bring together researchers from many different disciplines, in what will be the largest concentration of cardiovascular & respiratory scientists and clinicians, anywhere in Europe.

Thank you for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. Please give as little or as much as you feel comfortable giving - no gift is too small (or big); all are hugely appreciated :)! If you earn an income remember Royal Papworth can also reclaim an extra 25p for every pound you give at no extra cost to you.

Together we can make a difference  -  through the generosity of everyone's support we will be helping to fund future ground-breaking research into heart and lung disease; to improve lives and prevent what so nearly happened to my mother, from happening to others. 

I will be posting updates on this page and on my instagram account @izzycyclesforpapworth