“I assumed it could trigger some form of intrigue,” Kev Griffiths explains, speaking about his charity enterprise Most cancers My Arse. “My principle was that hopefully it would be one thing extra than simply a normal bike trip, which anyone and everyone goes and does.”
The trade veteran and member of two of Britain’s most historic biking households – the Swinnertons and the Griffiths – launched the charity this 12 months after discovering that his most cancers had returned, and that it’s now terminal.
The concept is easy, to boost funds from the biking group and additional afar by way of a problem: trip out of the saddle for so long as attainable. To this point, it has raised over £35,000 for varied most cancers charities, however it’s not the top of the street.
“I all the time needed to do one thing for charity, however I knew that if I could not get better and get again to full well being, I may by no means do something extraordinary by myself that may encourage individuals to donate to the trigger,” he says.
“I am not belittling anyone that raises 200 quid, 500 quid, or no matter. However I needed to do one thing larger than that. I assumed I may capitalise on my connections, contacts and do one thing that concerned extra individuals, to make it extra participating and to encourage individuals to take part and donate. Therefore the problem.”
Because the charity’s web site reads: “I am calling on household, buddies, and cyclists all over the place to trip—with out sitting within the saddle. This problem isn’t nearly elevating funds; it’s about exhibiting that irrespective of the obstacles, the human spirit is resilient and stuffed with hope.
“4 and half years in the past, I bought the analysis that I had a tumour in my bowel, my colon,” Griffiths tells CW of his situation. “After the primary op went nicely, 12 months on, they scanned me once more and located the most cancers had unfold to each lungs, so that they took sections out of each and gave me radiotherapy and chemotherapy to mop it up. They scanned me once more this 12 months, and so they discovered most cancers had come again very aggressively in my pelvis and each lungs once more.
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“Since April, I’ve been on chemo more often than not, and had 25 classes of radiotherapy too. The hope is that they will shrink the tumour within the pelvis, that’s the largest concern. As ever in my life, as of late, I’m ready on take a look at outcomes earlier than we go onto the subsequent stage. I’ve bought a everlasting stoma, therefore the considered sitting down on a motorcycle wasn’t interesting.”
Griffiths based BikeZaar, the web platform uniting impartial bike sellers, after years within the trade, and is making an attempt to make use of his connections to boost the stature of his charity.
The identify Most cancers My Arse is sort of stark, however Griffiths explains the reasoning behind it: “All of the suggestions has been wonderful, everyone mentioned it wanted a reputation like this to face out as speaking level.
“We’ve bought a great deal of occasions lined up. Hopefully there are extra challenges to come back, and I would like the model to proceed, whether or not that’s me or not.”
As for the problem itself, it is one which Griffiths, but in addition everybody, appears to battle with: “I felt it extra in my higher physique after I tried to do it. It’s a humorous one, while you ask anybody how far they will go, no person actually is aware of. We’ve had just a few who’ve accomplished over 20 miles, together with one man who truly took his saddle out, which I assumed was a bit loopy, as a result of should you do want to sit down pretty rapidly…
“I assumed it could be good to have one thing enjoyable and interesting. That is about getting individuals on bikes and remembering how enjoyable it may be, and we’ll see the way it goes.”
To donate, discover out extra, or participate in Most cancers My Arse go to cancermyarse.co.uk.