I went for what I believed would be a routine blood test, relating to a possible minor condition I may have contracted.  The following day, I received a call that there was an abnormality in my blood and that further tests would be necessary.  The tests confirmed I had Burkitts Lymphoma and that I would need immediate hospital treatment, failing which, I would not be around much longer.

My world turned upside down. As with most people, I believed this was something that affected others, not me.  Within the first three weeks, it was discovered that the form of the disease I had was not pure Burkitts, but in my layman's terms, a cross between Burkitts and Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia.  Apparently this is a rare form of the disease, affecting only a very small number of people nationally each year.

I had intensive treatment as an inpatient for a seven month period, finally leaving in August 2008, at which stage the disease was in remission and has thankfully remained so to date.  I continue to have maintenance treatment on a three monthly cycle.

If it was not for the skill and devotion of the original research teams in establishing the treatments and protocols for dealing with my particular version of the disease, and later the hospital doctors and nursing staff, I would not be here now.

We are entering the walk to try and repay, in a very small way, the huge debt of thanks and gratitude that is owed to these people and their organisations and I would ask that you sponsor us as generously as you can, so that others may benefit as I did.  Thank you very much for your support, be sure that it will go to a very worthy course.

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