A Cumbrian father has cycled a 230-mile route inspired by his son’s cancer treatment trips.
Lee Edmondson, of Seaton, cycled the route that 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.
The 50-year-old took on the challenge 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.
He has now raised over £5,165 for the charities with £1,000 in gift aid. Donations can still be made here.
Lee’s challenge saw him tackle the 230-mile route in less time than he expected, over 16 hours and 22 minutes, starting last Saturday, May 30 and ending on Sunday May 31.
He reached over 13,425 feet of elevation and was followed by his wife Rachel, who drove the support car while Jamie navigated.
Lee followed 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: “It went really great, I think I’m still on a high from it all. I had amazing support right from the start and there were lots of people who supported us along the way that I didn’t expect to see.
“The weather was great and all the red traffic lights ahead of us kept turning green, it was a bit strange really, but it all went really well.
“The fundraiser smashed my expectations, we originally had a £1,000 target to start and I never thought we’d reach that, but it just kept going up.
“Jamie kept saying he was proud of us, but him and Rachel were really great. Rachel stayed up all through the night and Jamie really got invested.”
Lee was also joined by other riders along the way, including Sean Pyper, who joined him for the full route, as well as Joe Hill, Peter Kemp, Jay Atkinson, Lloyd Thompson, Bill Barber and Mark Johnston and Chris Knowles with support from Jane Knowles.
He said it was an emotional moment when the team reached the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.
Lee added: “I was a bit emotional and as we cycled round I looked up at where Jamie’s bedroom was and it got to me a little bit, but we knew what we had to do so we carried on.
“I pointed out his bedroom to the lads and my daughter Katie also met us there and we stopped for a bit. Jamie also jogged alongside us at the RVI for a bit too.”
Lee said that the hardest part of the challenge was around the Haltwhistle section of the ride.
He added: “The hardest part psychologically was that section, but as soon as we saw the sign for Cumbria, it was a really big lift for all of us.
“But there were loads of people out clapping and cheering for us, especially in Carlisle and Aspatria and as we finished in Seaton Rugby Club there must have been 50 or 60 people there and I didn’t know what to say!”
Jamie was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia on May 10 last year. Lee said the family’s world changed in an instant.
For most families in Cumbria, travelling long distances is the only way to access treatment.
Long distance travel can be incredibly hard on families and Lee said he wanted his ride to raise awareness of how tough it can be.
He added: “I don’t think many people realise that if you’re in Cumbria you have to go to either the Royal Victoria Infirmary or Freeman Hospital and it is not just a five minute journey and it’s especially hard if your child is staying in.
“These charities we’ve raised money for really helped us through it and I don’t know what we would have done without them.”
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.
Lee said the family is now looking into doing more fundraising events in the future.
He added: “It’s all good saying it was a great challenge that we have done, but there are children out there going through a lot worse than a long bike ride.
“Hopefully with the money we’ve raised we’ll have helped other families and children. I’m sure we’ll do something else in the future too, I know Rachel is thinking about doing a charity night.”
