Hi everyone, thanks for responding to this.

On September 7th I am planning to take part in the Tour de 4 Charity bike ride organised by Sir Chris Hoy and the charity I am raising funds for is Bowel Cancer.

I went to the doctor in Feb 22, after experiencing some minor instances of constipation. One blood test, a colonoscopy and a few scans later, I was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer.

Since then I have been fighting the disease with massive help from the extraordinary staff from the NHS and the support of my wife and close family. It has been a hell of a battle so far and as Chris says in his book "All That Matters" your life, for you and those close to you, changes forever once you get that diagnosis.

But whilst life changes, it does not have to stop, and I have been lucky to be able to enjoy many, many fantastic experiences with my family and friends despite the multiple operations and numerous Chemotherapy sessions over the last 3 years.

And that is one of the objectives of the Tour_de4 charity, alongside the fund raising, is to promote the fact that life goes on after you get that life changing news. It is still possible to take on different challenges and have gratifying life experiences.

However I have struggled to be completely open about my diagnosis with all my friends and acquaintances. I’ve been looking for the right event and the right time to both (a) raise money to help combat this disease and (b) finally be more open with everyone.

So when Chris announced his situation and published his book (which I read within days of release) I thought this is the one!

In January of this year, I got back on my bike, which had been kindly brought back up to working order by a good friend, and started pedalling. It has not been continuous pedalling since then as Chemo during the early part of the year took its toll, but right now I’m in a good place to attempt the 38 miles of Tour_de4 challenge in September.

There will be many reading this that are aware of the turn in fortune my life has taken and I thank them for their support. For others, this will be new information. To those people, I apologise for not telling you personally, but sometimes you just don’t want to talk about it.

So, donate if you want to, but more importantly please be aware of the early symptoms of Bowel Cancer, as caught early it can be successfully treated.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/bowel-cancer/symptoms/

Regards

Steve