CANCER-STRICKEN HAGLEY MOTHER CYCLES 500KM TO PARIS IN FOUR DAYS TO FUND CURE
CANCER-STRICKEN HAGLEY MOTHER CYCLES 500KM TO PARIS IN FOUR DAYS TO FUND CURE
A cancer-stricken Hagley mother has cycled 500km from London to Paris in just four days in a bid to fund a cure for myeloma.
Last week, Deb Gascogne, 47, took part in charity Myeloma UK’s London Paris Ride which saw her navigate steep ramps and hairpin bends before reaching the finish line at the Eiffel Tower on Sunday.
Thanks to her incredible efforts, the mother-of-two, who was diagnosed with the incurable blood cancer myeloma in 2009, has raised £6,885 towards a much hoped-for cure.
She said: “It was the most amazing experience ever. The sense of camaraderie, support and kindness from such a large group was unexplainable. To watch the sea of orange shirts and know that all those riders were riding to help patients like me was so humbling and had me in tears as we cycled out of London.”
She added: “Day three was my hardest day. My body was starting to hurt and there were hills I hadn’t expected - perhaps wishful thinking that France was flat.
But the knowledge of what was to come on Day four, the Eiffel Tower and my family, helped to get through that and the adrenaline started to kick in. I can only thank Myeloma UK for giving me the chance to experience such a phenomenal event. Even exhausted at the end of Day three, I knew I wanted to do it again as soon as I could afford to.”
Myeloma occurs in the bone marrow and currently affects over 24,000 people in the UK.
Despite being the third most common type of blood cancer, it is especially difficult to detect as symptoms, including back pain, easily broken bones, fatigue and recurring infection, are often linked to general ageing or minor conditions.
Only one in 10 people diagnosed with myeloma every year are under 55.
While it is incurable, myeloma is treatable in the majority of cases. Treatment is aimed at controlling the disease, relieving the complications and symptoms it causes, and extending and improving patients’ quality of life.
More than half of patients face a wait of over five months to receive the right diagnosis and around a third are diagnosed through A&E. By that point, many of them are experiencing severe or life-threatening symptoms.
Deb was just 34 when she was diagnosed with myeloma. Her daughter Rebecca was four years old and her son, Sam, was two.
She’d had a nagging cold for weeks when she eventually booked a GP appointment. At the surgery, a nurse took a throat swab, explaining that Deb may be asked to come back for a blood test. But as she was about to send her on her way, the nurse thought better of it and took her blood there and then.
Little did Deb know that this sudden change of heart would alter the course of her life and allow her to see her children grow up.
“If she hadn’t done it, I don’t know when or if it would have got picked up because I never actually had any more symptoms for a while after that,” said Deb, who had the names of fellow patients who’ve since died of myeloma, printed on her cycling top.
“We were just really shocked. I had never heard of myeloma. It was 2009 and back then you read the statistics, and everything was saying you had two to five years. I was just like, ‘I’m not going to see my children go to secondary school’. But I did. Rebecca is 17 now and Sam is 15. I never thought I would have this much time. I hope I get to meet their partners, see them get married.”
In a bid to reclaim some sense of control over her life and to fund research into treatments, and ultimately a cure, over the past 13 years Deb has thrown herself into fundraising.
Not only has she collected more than £160,000 for Myeloma UK to date but, thanks to her London Paris Ride, she’s now reached her goal – three years ahead of schedule – to raise a further £50,000 towards a cure by the time she turns 50.
"Fundraising gives me control and a target," said Deb, who now works as a community fundraiser for a brain tumour charity. "It's been a lifesaver. Myeloma UK as a charity is making a difference to my future and the future of other people. The changes that have happened since I was diagnosed are huge. I never dreamed I would have that much time when I started treatment. I genuine believe we're on the tipping point of a cure."
She added: “I’m so grateful to all my friends and family for donating so generously at such a hard time. It has meant I’m really close to raising £7,000. And the fact that my niece and new myeloma friend Jo rode with me also means I have now beaten my £50,000 target so I’m absolutely over the moon.”
To support Deb go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/londontoparis50kb450
For more information about myeloma or to get in touch with Myeloma UK go to www.myeloma.org.uk. Myeloma UK runs an Infoline on 0800 980 3332.
WHAT IS MYELOMA?
Myeloma occurs in the bone marrow and currently affects over 24,000 people in the UK. Despite being the third most common type of blood cancer, it is especially difficult to detect as symptoms, including back pain, easily broken bones, fatigue and recurring infection, are often linked to general ageing or minor conditions
While it is incurable, myeloma is treatable in the majority of cases. Treatment is aimed at controlling the disease, relieving the complications and symptoms it causes, and extending and improving patients’ quality of life
More than half of patients face a wait of over five months to receive the right diagnosis and around a third are diagnosed through an emergency route. By that point, many of them are experiencing severe or life-threatening symptoms
On average 16 people are diagnosed with myeloma every day in the UK
Myeloma is the 19th most common type of cancer
Myeloma mostly affects people aged 65 and over but it has been diagnosed in people as young as 20
10 KEY STATISTICS
Around 5,800 people are diagnosed with myeloma every year
Eight people die from myeloma every day
More than 3,000 people die from myeloma every year
74% of people diagnosed with myeloma every year are over 65
Half of all myeloma patients will survive their disease for five years or more
Around one third of myeloma patients will survive their disease for ten years or more
Half of patients face a wait of over five months to receive the right diagnosis and around a third are diagnosed through an emergency route
A third of myeloma patients visit their GP at least three times before getting a diagnosis
Myeloma is the third most common type of blood cancer
Myeloma makes up 2% of all new cancer cases diagnosed ever year
ABOUT MYELOMA UK
Myeloma UK is the only organisation in the UK exclusively dedicated to myeloma and related conditions
We receive no core Government funding and rely almost entirely on voluntary donations and fundraising
Our ultimate goal is to find a cure and make myeloma history. Until then, our mission is to help every patient live well with myeloma for as long as possible
We are committed to diagnosing myeloma earlier, discovering and sharing knowledge, transforming the patient experience and influencing positive change in care
We provide a range of crucial information and support services for patients, their family and friends
Our free Myeloma Infoline is available on 0800 980 3332, Monday-Friday 9am-5pm (closed weekends and some public holidays)
To find out more about myeloma and the work of Myeloma UK, visit www.myeloma.org.uk or follow us on Twitter @MyelomaUK and Facebook, facebook.com/myelomauk/
10 MYELOMA RED-FLAG SYMPTOMS
Persistent or unexplained pain for more than 4–6 weeks, particularly in the back or ribs
Spontaneous fractures, including osteoporotic vertebral fractures
Hypercalcaemia (high calcium levels in the blood)
Reduction in kidney function
Recurrent or persistent infections
Unexplained anaemia
Nosebleeds or unexplained bleeding
Unexplained breathlessness
Feeling generally unwell – fatigue, weight loss, suspicion of underlying cancer
Unexplained peripheral neuropathy, that is damage to the nerves that make up the peripheral nervous system. In myeloma the nerves that are most commonly affected are those of the hands and feet
Myeloma UK
22 Logie Mill, Beaverbank Business Park, Edinburgh, EH7 4HG
United Kingdom
For all inquiries, please contact us at: marion.sauvebois@myeloma.org.uk
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