Over the course of 2021, my younger sister was diagnosed with two primary cancers, one of which is a grade II  astrocytoma. She had an awake brain surgery in December 2021 and fortunately she has recovered well. However there is no cure for this type of cancer at the moment, and she is having regular scans to monitor for the recurrence of the tumour. 

Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other type of cancer, but research in this area is very poorly funded. As things stand, once my sister's tumour recurs she will have very limited treatment options. 

For this reason, her family and friends are raising money targeted at clinical research, in particular for the National Brain Appeal. We know that their fundraising makes a difference - they established the UK’s first dedicated Brain Tumour Unit and the first dedicated ward for brain tumour patients, the Molly Lane Fox Unit, where my sister had her brain surgery. They also funded the UK’s first interventional MRI scanner. Without this type of scanner, my sister would not have had access to the type of operation that she had in December. 

We have agreed with the charity that any funds raised from my cycle will be ringfenced for clinical trials being carried out by Dr Paul Mulholland, an oncologist at UCLH, to explore the effectiveness of immunotherapy as a treatment for glioblastomas. He recently completed the most significant clinical trial for brain cancer in decades and he is fundraising to carry out further trials later in 2022. We want to contribute to that effort. 

Any donations big or small are much appreciated and will spur me on as I cycle to Paris very slowly on my silly bike.