London Marathon: ✅

London to Brighton: NEXT

I’ll continue to challenge myself.

In June 2019 I was told that I have Blood Cancer. There's no getting away from that bombshell and its taken me a long time to come to terms with it but now, after running the London Marathon back in 2022, my next challenge is taking part in the BHF London to Brighton Bike Ride and raising more valuable money for Blood Cancer UK. I am captaining a group of 6 riders all raising for the same cause.

It was a routine doctors appointment where this all started. I was complaining of a pain in my stomach and after some initial investigation, I went off for tests and scans. A week or so later, the pain had subsided so I assumed nothing was wrong until I was referred to the Hematology wing at my local hospital. An enlarged spleen along with some abnormal blood test results prompted a consultancy session where I was eventually diagnosed with a currently incurable form of Blood Cancer, MPN PV JAK-2.

Although mentally, the diagnosis of blood cancer and the introduction to my allocated MacMillan nurse has been hard to come to terms with, physically currently I'm perfectly fine (although overweight and unfit!) and with consistent careful management of my body, a health/fitness drive and regular treatment, my life expectancy should remain relatively unaffected. I'm lucky in a way because they have picked this up very early in me as usually this rare condition doesn't get identified until most sufferers reach their 60s. There is a chance that my condition could develop into Leukemia so I am determined to raise money for Blood Cancer UK and combat this cancer to prevent anything further from happening to me.

Blood Cancer UK, who have become known to me since my diagnosis, are a charity run organisation that raise cash to fund research, a huge support network and to campaign for better treatments. So please, dig deep and donate whatever you can as I, crazily tackle the 2024 London to Brighton Bike Ride in support of Blood Cancer UK.

Thank you 😘😘