Story
10 people are diagnosed with sarcoma in the UK everyday and 50% of those don't survive longer than 5 years...These odds are not pretty, but you can help change that!
Thank you for visiting my page. We are supporting Sarcoma UK, the only cancer charity in the UK focused on all types of sarcoma. Sarcoma is a cancer of the bone and soft tissue. It is one of the hardest to diagnose, and difficult to treat.
I was diagnosed with Chondrosarcoma last year and had a bilateral internal hemipelvectomy and a partial resection of the bladder to rid me of a tumour roughly 11cm around. It was major surgery and the recovery has been/is tough, but I'm thankful for my surgeons for trying as usually for a tumour the size and position of mine means losing leg(s)!
I want to do all I can to support Sarcoma UK, so when my friend Jason said he was planning to ride (from our home town of Launceston in Cornwall) to London for charity with a group of people I know and would I like to join them and do the ride for Sarcoma UK I jumped at the chance.
Unfortunately it looks like the cancer has come back and further surgery will be needed, this time it'll be an pelvic exenteration, which in simple terms is the taking of the bladder, prostate and colon... The good news is that it looks like the operation will be scheduled after the London ride :)
By donating to my page, you will fund vital research projects looking for better treatments. Your donation will also raise awareness of the symptoms of sarcoma to help patients get an early diagnosis - Sarcoma is usually the size of a baked bean tin when diagnosed. If sarcoma is diagnosed when it is smaller than a golf ball, it would increase the chance of survival by at least 20%.
*Update... So we did it, what an amazing weekend it was! So much so that I don't think it will be long before another epic adventure is planned! All riders made it to London with the exception of Kelly who fell 45 miles into the ride and broke her ankle :(
A massive thank you to the Unity Support Riders who guided us through the traffic from Camberley to London, we all felt like VIPs and we can't thank you enough!
Thank you for your support.
Gareth Lancaster and the rest of the cycling team... Jason Jeffery, Kelly Sargent, Matt Breed, Simon Owens, Rob Orchard, Ian Ellacott, Louise Wakeham, Adrian Harvey, Sandra Ansty, Sally Reed, Merwyn Quick and Graham Worth
And not forgetting the support vehicle drivers Llewellyn Lancaster and Ross Pidgeon