Walk for a cure - May 15th for Kidney Cancer UK

Do you want to join me in making a difference? I'm raising money in aid of Kidney Cancer UK and every donation will help. Thank you in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me.

More information about Kidney Cancer UK: Kidney Cancer UK is the UK's leading specialist kidney cancer charity. We seek to reduce the harm caused by kidney cancer by increasing knowledge and awareness, providing patient information and by supporting research into the causes, prevention and treatment of the disease.

Over 10 years ago my Brother Ricky was diagnosed with this horrible disease and now has Metastatic Kidney Cancer stage 4. To begin with he had the affected kidney and lymph node removed, recovered from the operation and he and us as a family went on with daily life( 6/12 monthly scans) and we thought we were incredibly lucky. Unfortunately 7 years later it came back! Then life changed and since then for Ricky and his devoted wife Andrea it has been a life of uncertainty, hospital visits, blood tests, scans, operations, all the things that every cancer patient has had to face unfortunately.

Ricky only ever spotted blood in his urine twice and luckily Andrea made him go to get it checked out. Unfortunately, there are hardly any symptoms to kidney cancer, most people would not know they have it. Please, please if you ever spot blood in your urine get it checked out, to rule out this horrible disease. Part of why I am walking is to raise awareness about this disease. Kidney Cancer UK (KCUK) is quite a small charity compared to most other cancer charities and with the last year hitting us as it has, their funding has been hit. Since the moment we found this charity and Ricky went on a Living with Kidney Cancer day he has felt supported, Ricky suddenly didn't feel isolated, sadly there are huge numbers of people across the country in the same position. Unfortunately this cancer does not repond to Chemotherapy. Like with all cancers if found early you can survive but if not, like so many people's stories then there is no cure just treatment. KCUK are working so hard with the help of cancer Research to get nearer to a cure, the treatments are advancing all the time and that is why I would like to raise some money to help them, however small I know that it will go towards a brighter future. Maybe not for Ricky but for all those other people and families that find themselves in our position.

On a personal level, this is my pledge to Ricky that we are so proud of him and how he and Andrea have coped. With every step of his journey as a family we will be there to love and support. His positive attitude and sheer stubbornness to not go anywhere has been inspiring and long may it continue.

There is so much more I could write, and as a good friend at work says to me, don't write war and peace :-) I will leave it there.

I will be so grateful for any donation, however small. It all adds up. For all that Ricky has gone through, this is the least I can do. Whats 21 miles, just sore legs, back and a few blisters, nothing compared to what he and others are going through.

Thank you for reading,

Jane xxx