Myo's Tour De 4 Fundraiser for Maggie's

I’m raising money for Maggie’s as myself and many others have benefited from their support and advice.

As a keen cyclist regularly cycling 50-70 miles each weekend it was a challenge being unable to cycle for 18 months due incapacity, then high risk of spinal fracture.

I was diagnosed with plasmacytoma in June 2023. My spinal cord was being compressed and I had surgery to alleviate that. This was followed by radiotherapy which didn’t totally clear my T1 vertebrae and 2 other small ones were found in a rib and pelvic bone. I then had induction chemotherapy followed by a stem cell transplant in July 2024. I am now in remission and allowed to ride a bike outdoors. I started on an ebike as I had to build back muscle and work around my endurance being significantly lower. I hope to get back on my gravel and road bikes soon. My recovery from treatment has been slow but I continued to exercise as much as I could throughout and am now working around my limitations due to spinal cord damage and the effects of the maintenance chemo on my endurance. Like Chris Hoy I am making the most of what I can do right now.

I knew very well what Maggie’s offered due to my job as a Therapeutic Radiographer and had been involved with the team there. You can just pop in for a tea or coffee as well as getting support and advice. I really benefited from Maggie's with chair yoga helping me gently exercise my upper body and replace my body balance classes. The strength and balance class helped once I was able to be on my feet more. Both classes became fun due to the camaraderie between participants. I also benefited from relaxation and mindfulness when I needed that and online access when I couldn’t drive and when isolating after my stem cell transplant.

Whether you donate a lot or a little it all adds up and will help Maggie’s to offer the same to others.

Thank you for your support.