Jamie Menzies Mesothelioma Challenge

Jamie and his father DavidIn November 2010 Jamie Menzies’s dad John was diagnosed with Pleural Mesothelioma, a rare and incurable form of cancer that affects the lungs. Jamie decided he would like to give something back following his dad’s treatment and raise funds for the Mesothelioma Trust Fund at Papworth Hospital Charity.

Over Christmas 2010 he went in to Papworth Hospital for an operation to ease some of the symptoms of his condition. Papworth Hospital also runs a Mesothelioma Support Group for patients with the condition and separate carers’ meetings where partners and loved ones can meet to discuss issues and support one another. www.papworthhospital.nhs.uk/mesosupportgroup
“In return for the great care that Papworth Hospital have and continue to give my Dad, I plan to cycle 100 metres for every inpatient they treat over the course of an average year to raise money so that they may continue their amazing work. While this initially may not sound that difficult, when you consider that they receive 22400 inpatients annually, this equates to cycling 2240km (1391.8 miles)!
I will be starting my bike tour at Papworth Hospital on the 8th June and hope to be back within 23 days, which works out as a daily average of just over 97km or 60.52miles. I would not even remotely consider myself much of a cyclist. The last bike I had was when I was about 10. To be honest, these figures are slightly terrifying, but hopefully achievable with a bit of hard work! 
My route will take me from Papworth Hospital down to London, and then on to Dover. From Dover I will be catching a ferry to Dunkirk, and then from there I will be heading through France to Geneva, Switzerland. Once I have arrived at Geneva I will take a quick dip in the lake to wash off some of the accumulated grime before circling back through France and England, finishing up at Papworth Hospital again. I will be doing the entire trip solo and camping every night whilst in France and Switzerland; let’s hope for some dry weather!”
To sponsor Jamie on his incredible challenge, go to www.justgiving.com/Cycle4Papworth