A Cumbrian father is getting ready to take on a 230-mile bike ride inspired by his son’s cancer treatment trips.
Lee Edmondson, of Seaton, will cycle the route his son Jamie, aged 13, travelled with his family for months to receive cancer treatment, from their home in Seaton the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle and back.
You can follow Lee’s challenge live on Saturday here.
The 50-year-old is taking on the trip to raise money for three charities that have greatly supported Jamie and his family throughout his treatment – Children’s Cancer North, Teenage Cancer Trust, and The Sick Children’s Trust.
Lee will set off on the 24 hour and 230-mile challenge on Saturday afternoon, followed by his wife Rachel, who will be driving the support car and Jamie, who will be navigating.
He will reach almost 15,000 feet of elevation over the course of the challenge before arriving home around lunchtime on Sunday.
Lee will follow the exact route Jamie travelled, starting at their family home in Seaton, to the doctors in Workington, on to West Cumberland Hospital, then over to the Royal Victoria Infirmary via Alston and Hartside Pass before returning via Carlisle.
He said: “I’m strangely looking forward to it, but I’m also nervous at the same time. It’ll be a great challenge and the people I’m doing it with will support us all the way around.
“I do think it will be emotional. It’s a physical and mental challenge with deep personal meaning. This challenge is part of our way of giving back.
“But Jamie is looking forward to it, he’s going to be the navigator. We drove the route last week and we picked out certain places for stops, so he knows where we’re going and what we’re doing.”
Lee will also be joined by other riders along the way, including Sean Pyper, who will join him for the full route, Joe Hill, who will ride to at least Penrith, Chris Knowles to Hexham along with his wife Jane Knowles who will support via campervan.
Peter Kemp will then ride with Lee from Hexham, Jay Atkinson will ride from the RVI, Lloyd Thompson will ride from Carlisle along with Bill Barber and Mark Johnston.
Jamie was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia on May 10 last year. Lee said the family’s world changed in an instant.
He said: “One moment we were living our normal, everyday lives, and the next we were navigating hospital wards, treatment plans and a future filled with uncertainty.
“It has been an incredibly hard year for us as a family, but one filled with gratitude. When life changes in a second, the care, kindness and support you receive can make all the difference.
“We will be forever thankful to everyone who helped us through this; the most difficult time of our lives.”
Jamie is now in remission and doing very well after spending months undergoing treatment at the Royal Victoria Infirmary, supported by the teams on wards four and 14.
The youngster has now started back with school lessons and Lee said he has been amazing through it all.
He added that the support from the three charities and teams at the Royal Victoria Infirmary has meant everything to Jamie and his family.
Lee said: “We would have really struggled without them, they have helped us out a massive amount.
“Children’s Cancer North and Teenage Cancer Trust have helped Jamie out massively from the start, and The Sick Children’s Trust, they gave us a place to stay at Crawford House through his treatment.
“I don’t know what we would have done if they hadn’t have been there. Just being able to be there in the morning when he was waking up and not leaving until 11 o’clock at night meant everything.
“But the whole point of this challenge is we need those charities to be there for other people.
“The way they treated us in the Royal Victoria Infirmary was amazing, you felt safe going in. It was the little things like you’d go in and they all knew his name.
“Every one of them from Jo the cleaner who used to come in and wind Jamie up and have a little joke with him all the way up to the consultants were brilliant.”
Lee said that for many families in Cumbria, accessing treatment often means travelling long distances.
He added: “It’s an absolutely draining journey, you’re just not concentrating, I was thinking about Jamie constantly all the time, your mind is completely elsewhere.
“It was only great when he was leaving the hospital and he was in the car with us, that was the only good journey.
“The additional costs quickly add up — fuel, parking, overnight stays, and simply feeding everyone while living between home and hospital. On top of this, there is the added pressure of not being able to work as normal, or at all, while caring for a seriously ill child.
“The financial strain can be overwhelming at a time when your only focus should be your child. The support we received helped ease those burdens when we needed it most.
“Along the way, we met some truly amazing families, and some incredible children and teenagers who face unimaginable challenges with strength, humour and courage.
“Nobody ever wants to find themselves in this situation, but it is made more bearable by the people, places and charities that step in when they are needed most.”
You can donate to support Lee’s challenge here.
You can follow Lee’s challenge live on Saturday here.
If you would like to join Lee for part or all of the route, you can contact him on WhatsApp via 07809499002.
