Birthday greetings to Gail Porter today. She is one of a very select group of people who, having featured in the Lives & Times bowel cancer charity book, will also feature in the new fundraising book, The Record.
We are still trying to arrange the meeting for the new book, but going back to December 2014 we met at Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park, which is like a home from home for Gail. This first meeting between us began disastrously as, unbelievably, we somehow missed each other. Thankfully we were able to try again the following week, and we eventually managed to meet up on what was a very cold and festive evening. I can't believe that this was over three and a half years ago now.
Gail was really lovely, and very enthusiastic in getting involved in the book - she was brilliant fun, and it was certainly one of my favorite chapters I did for Lives & Times. The chapter makes reference to our ride on the 'Ski Slope' ride, where stupidly I hadn't realised quite what I was letting myself in for! Lets just say 360 degrees! 😱Of course meeting Gail was a brilliant photo opportunity, and how many people can count themselves lucky enough to have photographed the beautiful Gail Porter?
My mother was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2012. Although the operation to remove the tumour from her bowel was a success, the cancer spread to her left lung, and she had four operations to remove nodules from her lungs, bouncing back each time getting back on her horse and driving her car even as she approached her 80th birthday. Sadly in 2016 the cancer also spread to her brain and her condition became terminal, and Mum passed away on the 29th of August 2016.
All my fundraising is now being done in Mum's memory, and if anything the whole point of the fundraising and raising awareness about bowel cancer has been even more reinforced by this devastating loss. All proceeds I receive are being donated to Beating Bowel Cancer / Bowel Cancer UK, who have merged to become the UK's leading bowel cancer charity. Bowel cancer is the second highest cancer killer in the UK, but if detected early it can be successfully treated in over 90% of cases. Much more needs to be done in raising awareness, and improving early detection rates.
The fundraising total is heading towards £4000 thanks to kindness of generosity of so many people. Please check out my www.bowelcancerfundraising.co.uk website where there are lots of items you can buy to support my fundraising efforts.
