On 17 December 2014, Louise, my wife, found a lump, it was the day before our son, Rory, was born. We expected the lump to be to do with the pregnancy but 5 weeks later, after some very impressive screening, Louise was having treatment. Formal treatment lasted from January to November and included several operations, Chemo and Radio-therapy…………..there has been continuous therapy ever since with daily pills and monthly injections, which will go on for 10 years as well. However, Louise is really well now.
The Marsden were unbelievable at treating not just the physical symptoms but the mental side as well. There was always support for Louise from nurses who she could phone at any time to discuss concerns. One of the hardest bits was being told that a scheduled chemo session was being put back due to an infection. I could deal with the diagnosis when we were told of the plan, but the changes made it incredibly hard to cope with. Hearing recently about many people’s treatment or diagnosis being delayed because of COVID brings it home how big an impact the lock down has had and the mental strain it will put on those patients – places like the Marsden are vital.
Anyway, Louise and I are looking to raise funds for further research. This is the 5th year since the end of treatment and Louise wanted to give something back to the Marsden for all their support. So she found a charity bike ride that she suggested we do together. I was fine with that until I was told what it was – I had never owned a road bike until January this year and……….now we are about to cycle close to 400km over 4 days with 11,500 metres of climbing in the Alps. We were meant to be doing this on roads raced that the Tour of France uses, finishing at the top of the Alp Du Huez, instead we are off to Switzerland and Italy, could be worse. We are now doing Il Curo D’Italia and not Le Cure de France! To say we are terrified is an understatement but seeing what Louise has gone through, I couldn’t really say no.
The sacrifice has been real…………………… it would have been cheaper and easier to just give money to the Marsden than buy all the cycling kit, I took a turbo trainer to Scotland to train rather than golf clubs, I have been knock off my bike and chipped my collar bone and by far the biggest sacrifice,...….. I haven’t played golf all year to do more training!
So if you are tempted to sponsor me, the link is below
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Total Raised
£4,562.00
£5,317.50 incl. GiftAid
Including £200.00 raised offline
"Fantastic achievement for a great cause Mark. Best wishes to the family. "
£25.00
christina lamb
7th Sep 2020
"Amazing achievement - congratulations from nextdoor!"
Anonymous
6th Sep 2020
£50.00
Whitters
4th Sep 2020
"Well done Sparkaay"
£50.00
Rahel & Tom
2nd Sep 2020
"Congrats Mark - amazing achievement! "
£20.00
Anonymous
2nd Sep 2020
"Well done from 6 GG"
£12.00
Emma Farrer
2nd Sep 2020
"Daddy - this is from Emma to say well done for completing le cure that means so much to us. I also wanted you to take over uncle John ok the leaderboard !!!"
"Well done to you and Louise, what an amazing accomplishment! Cheers from a fellow GG'er."
Annabel & Andrew
2nd Sep 2020
"Huge Congratulations from Annabel & Andrew @4GG. Great effort and cause! "
£50.00
Shoyab
1st Sep 2020
"Well done on a brilliant achievement.
Shoyab"
£10.00
Pelham
1st Sep 2020
"Well Done Mark and Louise"
£25.00
Francis
30th Aug 2020
"Good luck!"
£50.00
Lucy
30th Aug 2020
"Supporting you on your epic journey - best of luck to you and Louise!"
£10.00
Josh
29th Aug 2020
"Good luck mate - ride like the wind! Josh, Sonya, Grace and Ella"
£100.00
The Rednoli’s
29th Aug 2020
"Impressive - keep going Fartays!"
£50.00
Graham Arnold
28th Aug 2020
"Good luck to you both - a real challenge to undertake - Enjoy!"
£50.00
Mark Woodhams
28th Aug 2020
"Good luck Mark! When it gets tough dig in and remember rule no 5."
£500.00
George
28th Aug 2020
"If you can see over the handlebars don’t get scared by the heights! "
£20.00
Kerri & Alan Keen
27th Aug 2020
"Good luck to you both on this amazing challenge, for such a good cause.
We also wish you both even more luck for when you sit down at the end of each day! Ouchy!!
Kerri & Alan"
"This is such an impressive way to raise funds and increase awareness for a fantastic charity. Plus you get to justify your lycra fetish - brilliant.
In all seriousness, Dilshad and I wish you both the very best of luck."
"Best of luck Mark - make sure you invest in some good cycling shorts!"
£100.00
Adeline Hoe
26th Aug 2020
"Go for it Sparks! So proud of you both xx"
Anonymous
26th Aug 2020
"My brother suffered cancer so I cycled Land's End to John O'Graots. Never at anytime did I consider cycling a route as challenging as yours.
Good Luck & great to hear that Louise is well now.
Hope you've prepared for all those sore bits !
Who is Alan?
Good Luck
Dave"
"Alan!! i totally forgot that was your name ha ha"
£50.00
Aditi Srivastava
26th Aug 2020
"Go Mark and Louise! What a great story, and such a humbling cause. All the best! "
£40.00
Josie
25th Aug 2020
"Good luck! What a great challenge and for such a good cause. All the very best."
£50.00
Jonathan Cook
24th Aug 2020
"All the very best for the challenge! From the Cooks"
£50.00
Andy Cole
24th Aug 2020
"Go Mark and Louise! An epic challenge for a brilliant cause."
£20.00
Tamara Jordon
24th Aug 2020
"Good luck Mark!"
£20.00
Parveen Bhavra
21st Aug 2020
"Very impressive! Wishing you all the best :)"
£100.00
Jill & Emmet
21st Aug 2020
"Good luck Mark! Impressed by you both. "
£20.00
Madelene
20th Aug 2020
£100.00
Jamie & Thomas
20th Aug 2020
"Looking forward to the Lycra pictures. Good luck!"
£20.00
Chris Stonehouse
19th Aug 2020
"Great effort Team Farrer, enjoy!"
£20.00
Terry Scruby
19th Aug 2020
"Best of luck Team Farrer! Think about that glass of wine at the finish line!"
£100.00
Martin S
18th Aug 2020
"Best of luck, but I hope you enjoy as well for such a good cause. "
£500.00
HS1 Ltd.
18th Aug 2020
"Best of luck from all at HS1. What a great cause!"
£20.00
Sam Sage
18th Aug 2020
"Good luck Mark!"
£20.00
Ash Hoque
17th Aug 2020
"Good luck Mark. A very noble cause indeed. Cancer affects so many people. Organisations like the Royal Marsden and MacMillan do so much for people with the disease. I'm sure you will smash your target. "
"Forget fundraising go for the win. Think of the glory. Dave, Jess and Leo"
£40.00
Claire
17th Aug 2020
"Best of luck, a very worthy cause. x"
£30.00
Theresa Brill
17th Aug 2020
"Best of luck to you both! A great cause and one that it is obviously very close to your heart x"
£20.00
Kevin Reilly
17th Aug 2020
"Well done raising money for a great cause. Best of luck"
£10.00
Lesley Udall
17th Aug 2020
"What a great cause to be cycling for. Good luck to you both and enjoy it - if you can! x "
£30.00
Maria Mincu
17th Aug 2020
"Good luck Mark!"
£30.00
Ed B
17th Aug 2020
"Sounds absolutely crazy cycle and very worth cause. Wish you all the best."
£20.00
Jay Newton
17th Aug 2020
"Good luck both, wish you all the best."
£50.00
Andrew Ellis
17th Aug 2020
"Have a great ride, and try to enjoy the views when you get a spare moment!"
£20.00
Monica Lalwani
16th Aug 2020
"Good Luck! "
Andy Howard
16th Aug 2020
"All the best for the hills. This is sponsorship for both of you. "
£20.00
Matt B
16th Aug 2020
"Good luck from Matt, Chloe and boys! "
£30.00
Steve Bibby
16th Aug 2020
"Good luck! From Steve, Chloe and Hollie-Mae"
£20.00
Yes
16th Aug 2020
"Well done Louise
In memory of Elizabeth Lazarus"
£40.00
Dave F
15th Aug 2020
"I get it. Good luck and I'll double the donation if you do it without a saddle :0)"
£30.00
Drita and Fran
14th Jul 2020
"We wish you all the best Mark and very good cause to raise the money for!
Drita and Fran! "
Raising Funds For
The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity - Le Cure
Imagine a future beyond cancer. At The Royal Marsden we’re dedicated to making this happen. We’re a world-leading innovation centre who pioneer new treatments that save lives. We use our research every day to provide the very best in diagnosis, treatment and care for our patients. The revolutionary way we treat people in our hospitals has far-reaching impact, nationally and internat... Read More
