Want to do LEJOG for charity - wife has cancer

[mumbojumbo]

Can borrow thee a bike if you tell me your height.

[the_journey]

Thanks mumbojumbo!

My height is roughly 5'8" or 173cm

Cheers for the offer!

[mumbojumbo]

Can sort you out with a decent no-frills bike-you will have to collect from Shefield.

[the_journey]

Thanks mumbo

I just sent you a DM

[Jamesh]

I'd suggest you use the anticipation of a lejog as motivation to get you through this tough episode in your life.

7 days would be really tough 12-16hr days of pain which on top of he pain your already going through would be enough to break any man.

Once she has recovered you can treat yourself to a longer more enjoyable lejog in the joy of her recovery.

All the best.

Cheers James

[rareposter]

I'd suggest you use the anticipation of a lejog as motivation to get you through this tough episode in your life.

7 days would be really tough 12-16hr days of pain which on top of he pain your already going through would be enough to break any man.

Once she has recovered you can treat yourself to a longer more enjoyable lejog in the joy of her recovery.

All the best.

Cheers James

Absolutely this ^^.

Quote apart from the logistics which others have covered already and the timeframe of about 3 days to sort yourself out with a bike (!), all the kit, transport to LE, accommodation en route, Covid restrictions etc, you've left zero time for any fundraising. As that seems to be the main point of the ride, and admirably so, it makes sense to support your wife and son now while they need you most, plan your trip properly and raise awareness of your intentions.

By the time your wife is recovering, you'll have an idea of fundraising (for example Macmillan Cancer Support or a similar definitive organisation) and that tends to get more support than just saying "my wife has cancer, I'm doing a long ride to raise money, sponsor me".

For reference, a lot of the participants in the annual Deloitte Ride Across Britain event do it for charities close to them and the average raised per person is about £3500. Just to help set your expectations if you were hoping for £50,000...
Some of that is from a fundraising site like JustGiving, a fair bit from the individual doing things like a bake sale at work and so on. Which returns me to my main point that you've left no time to do any of that.

Best wishes to your wife, stay positive.

[mumbojumbo]

The problem is that this is a common challenge-it might be better to
A.cycle a different route such as a visit to all Premier teams/grounds and seek support from clubs
B. choose a different,more original challengeeg doing something with a permanent legacy such as upgrading a network of footpaths.

I would never sponsor a sky-dive,dyeing hair pink,having head shaved.I fing such ideas peurile and rather futile.Creating a large flower border in a lawn belonging to a Macmillan care home would be a better use of your time,and materials and tools could be gifted by C&A or a local garden centre.

[Jamesh]

I think it depends on the person

If a pub regular pipped up and said he wanted to do lejog against the ridicule of his peers, against all odds, 20st, COPD, T2 diabetes, heart disease then that's a challenge for him and inspiration for the community. If his peer group is large then he might well raise a substantial amount of money...

However you or I it wouldn't be seen as remarkable rather what we enjoy and perhaps are good at?

Cheers James

[mumbojumbo]

Or they could sponsor him to lose weight and give up sugar and alcohol.I think any exercise could be fatal.

[simonhill]

Reading the first post again, I wonder why the OP is trying for a private clinic. Isn't the treatment available on the NHS.

If it is some special new treatment then that may be an angle to go for.

If the NHS are being slow, then using your time to get them to speed things up may be be a better use of your time.

[mumbojumbo]

Suppose you try all options in these circumstances.

[the_journey]

Again, thanks to all who have replied.

I have been doing research into the type of gear I may need. Below is a list of items I think I would need. Maybe some items aren't quite as critical as I would want to be as light as possible.

I'm thinking of doing a youth hostel or cheap B & B rather than camping. 1) I'd get to refresh with relative comfort and 2) I'd be able to recharge any devices that require it, ie: mobile, lights, etc. Also, I'd be relatively safe from the elements.

Here is a list of what I've come up with at best prices. I do worry about quality for lower priced items but, please let me know if I'm missing anything or if any item isn't really a necessity.

- Rear Rack (25kg or 50kg max load?) - £11.29 (25kg) to £12.99 (50kg) (ebay)
- Panniers (double + waterproof) - £11.99 (ebay)
- Pannier bag cover (necessary?) - £10.97 (ebay)
- Lights (front & rear) - £9.98 (ebay)
- Odometer - £11.99 (amazon) OR £11.69 (ebay)
- Bottle holder - £2.99 (ebay)
- Small tool kit (multi-fuctional - swiss army style) - £6.99 (ebay)
- Helmet - £9.89 (ebay)
- Tyres (puncture resistant) - £12.49/ea (wiggle - 26" x 1.5" - too narrow?)
- Tyre changing tool (don't know if I need, always done it by hand) - £2.64 (ebay)
- Inner tubes (spares) - I'm sure these aren't too expensive
- Pump (already own one - doesn't have PSI reading though) -
- Cycling shorts (at least 2 pairs? Does this negate the need for a "gel seat"? - see below) - £5.99 (ebay)
- Gel seat (not needed if have padded shorts?) - £4.99 (ebay)
- Water Proof pants (if so, which colour? Something bright like yellow/orange for visibility?) - £7.95 (ebay)
- Chain lube (WD40?) - I have some already
- Shoe covers (waterproof) - £2.99 (ebay)
- Leg warmers - £5.99 (ebay)
- Chamois cream (?) - £8.99 (ebay)
- Lock - £8.99 (amazon) similar £5.95 (ebay)
- Snacks (electrolytes, dates, dried food, ?) - to be determined

So, going off the more expensive items, that's around £150 excluding snacks, inner tubes.

Am I heading in the right direction?

Thanks

[the_journey]

I didn't want my thread to be about cancer but, just to mention about the desire to go private...

My wife's oncologist said she will be given both chemo and radio at the same time. The problem with radio is that they blast a wide area (think of the pelvic area in my wife's case). Radio (and even chemo) should destroy most, if not all, of the cancerous tumour however, especially with radio, it will also destroy surrounding healthy cells/organs in the pelvic area too.

The private clinic I have been in touch with (Rutherford Cancer Centre in Liverpool) use Proton Beam radiotherapy (the only clinic/centre in the UK to offer Proton Beam) which essentially means the beam of radio is smaller, more precise, theoretically doing much less damage to surrounding tissue and organs. The standard NHS radio is likely to be much more damaging as the beam and the area they "zap" is wider. This is not a knock on the NHS btw. I'm grateful for what they have to offer.

If I had the money, I wouldn't hesitate to go to Rutherford. Hence the idea of the ride, the idea to raise funds, to be able to afford such therapy.

Also, even if/when the therapies work (ie kill the tumour) what happens to the cancer stem cells? Our NHS doctors don't talk about that. Oncologists don't discuss the high possibility of metatstatic recurrence. Why would they? Only to scare the patient? Rates of recurrence are high, depending on the type of cancer, the stage, etc.

The reality is the stem cells will remain and that's very scary. There is a lot one can do to help rid these remnant cells but, that involves much more than the traditional NHS regimen.

So, I have been in contact with an oncology clinic in London who offers adjunctive therapies that, whilst there is no guarantee of cure, will hopefully assist traditional therapy (chemo/radio) to help rid of left over cells and provide a more positive prognosis. One can only hope. They're not cheap but, much more affordable. Even so, money is still an issue for me, unfortunately.

Cancer is insidious, it has multiple receptors that help it feed its rampant, uncontentested growth. Most cancers feed on glycogen, even some on ketones, so my wife has cut out all simple sugars, is practically vegan now (I make all of her meals) and we can only hope that helps as at least one strategy toward blocking cancer's feeding mechanisms. One doctor recently told my wife, "eat whatever you want". I couldn't believe it.

If anyone is interested, you should check out Jane McLelland's book "How To Starve Cancer". She's a 20+ year survivor from stage 4 metastatic cancer. It's an enlightening read.

Anyway, that's why raising money is important to me.

I'm just trying to think of ways to help my wife.

[mumbojumbo]

R$ather than buy why not use wanted section.You will not need chamois cream with modern kit,unless it is for post-ride sessions.

[DaveBeck]

Again, thanks to all who have replied.

I have been doing research into the type of gear I may need. Below is a list of items I think I would need. Maybe some items aren't quite as critical as I would want to be as light as possible.

I'm thinking of doing a youth hostel or cheap B & B rather than camping. 1) I'd get to refresh with relative comfort and 2) I'd be able to recharge any devices that require it, ie: mobile, lights, etc. Also, I'd be relatively safe from the elements.

Here is a list of what I've come up with at best prices. I do worry about quality for lower priced items but, please let me know if I'm missing anything or if any item isn't really a necessity.

- Rear Rack (25kg or 50kg max load?) - £11.29 (25kg) to £12.99 (50kg) (ebay)
- Panniers (double + waterproof) - £11.99 (ebay)
- Pannier bag cover (necessary?) - £10.97 (ebay)
- Lights (front & rear) - £9.98 (ebay)
- Odometer - £11.99 (amazon) OR £11.69 (ebay)
- Bottle holder - £2.99 (ebay)
- Small tool kit (multi-fuctional - swiss army style) - £6.99 (ebay)
- Helmet - £9.89 (ebay)
- Tyres (puncture resistant) - £12.49/ea (wiggle - 26" x 1.5" - too narrow?)
- Tyre changing tool (don't know if I need, always done it by hand) - £2.64 (ebay)
- Inner tubes (spares) - I'm sure these aren't too expensive
- Pump (already own one - doesn't have PSI reading though) -
- Cycling shorts (at least 2 pairs? Does this negate the need for a "gel seat"? - see below) - £5.99 (ebay)
- Gel seat (not needed if have padded shorts?) - £4.99 (ebay)
- Water Proof pants (if so, which colour? Something bright like yellow/orange for visibility?) - £7.95 (ebay)
- Chain lube (WD40?) - I have some already
- Shoe covers (waterproof) - £2.99 (ebay)
- Leg warmers - £5.99 (ebay)
- Chamois cream (?) - £8.99 (ebay)
- Lock - £8.99 (amazon) similar £5.95 (ebay)
- Snacks (electrolytes, dates, dried food, ?) - to be determined

So, going off the more expensive items, that's around £150 excluding snacks, inner tubes.

Am I heading in the right direction?

Thanks

A decent front light, so you can actually see in the dark will be a lot more.
Odometer, ok. But you'll need a pile of maps or GPS to navigate, can't rely on road signs.
Bottle holder, You'll need 2.
Decent multi-tool, £12 - £20
Helmet, £40 - £80 would be better. Not for protection but for quality of fit etc
Puncture resistant tyres, Gatorskins or similar, £27
Tyre levers on multi-tool
Inner tubes, around £7
Cycle shorts. You need bib shorts and tights, they'll stay up/fit better £40 plus
Gel seat, no need if you have proper cycle shorts/tights
Chain lube, WD40 is NOT a lubricant, it's a water dispersant. (Hence WD)
Leg warmers. Don't need if you have bib tights
Chamois cream, may not need if you have the proper shorts/tights and have spent many miles training
Lock, never leave your bike out of sight!!! Even with lock of any price
Snacks, think what you need, double it and then double again. You need to be eating A LOT!

That's around £238 for the things I've priced.

The best thing to do, is a few much shorter trips, two or three day ones, so you will find out what you personally want and need to take with you. What I'd take is totally different from what anyone else would.

Why don't you put this LEJOG trip to your wife as a goal for you to do together, after she has had her treatment and is in remission? It would be something for her to look forward to whilst she is going for the treatment. And, in terms of raising money, her doing it will pull in far more than you doing it.