On a personal note‏

Hi there everyone,

I wanted to add a personal note about why Cancer Research UK is so important to me. One of my oldest and dearest mates Em, lost her dad to Cancer a few years ago.  It was so quick and so devastating, and it was also the first time someone I knew had died from cancer.

Larry was a lovely man with a good sense of humour; despite having to take and pick-up me, Em and our other mates half-cut from various teenage parties at ungodly hours.  He always had time for people, he was well known in our home town and would regularly corner or be cornered my mum for a chinwag!

I have the honour of becoming god-parent to Em's son Adam in a months time, I'm sure Larry would have loved to have been there with all his family, he'll be sorely missed.

Anyway Em has written a bit about why she is supporting us, please take a read.

Sophie

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Hi all,

I just wanted to add a quick personal note to explain why I will be donating to Soph, Dom and the bikers this year. Apart from the fact that Sophus is one of my oldest and closest mates, the charity they are raising money for is one very close to my heart.

It is an old, tired but painfully true cliche that everyone knows someone effected by cancer. Three years ago I lost my dad to the most deadliest form of skin cancer, melanoma, he was 63. He was taken from us so quickly, in under six months, but that half year felt like a lifetime of slow pain, terror, upset, tears, anger and frustration. He underwent a huge nine hour operation to remove the tumour two days before Christmas, where he nearly died twice on the table. Following this, he travelled to hospital five days a week for gruelling radiotherapy sessions, during which he had to wear a mask on his face to pin him to the table, he was so scared. We lost my dad ten days after his last session of radiotherapy.

Fortunately not all cases have to end in this way. I have an Aunty who has successfully had half her intestine removed to remove a bowel cancer, another Aunty who is being treated for non-hodgkins lymphoma, and an Uncle living with prostrate cancer. Obviously they, like many others, are able to do this partly because of the money that is raised through charities like Cancer Research.

I know these are difficult financial times for a lot of us, but if you, like me, agree to donate to just one cause this year, make it this one! Soph, Dom and the crew, good luck, and I hope we can help you to reach your £20,000 target. xxx