So you’ve heard about Dash4Dosh and wondered what it was? Wondered why I’m involved? Or maybe you just stumbled through the virtual door and landed on this page, in which case, welcome!
This blog will document my personal journey in undertaking what will be a difficult and challenging expedition from the United Kingdom to the Arctic Circle in Norway to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support… on a motorcycle! That’s approximately six thousand kilometres over fourteen days averaging six to eight hours a day riding through valleys, over mountains and through very long tunnels! Equipped with the minimum required that can be strapped to a motorcycle. I will be joined by a core team of three other IT Geeks, one from Northern Ireland (Paul Mooney), one from the Northern England (Roy McGeoch) and one guy flying over from the USA (Gregg Eldred) meeting us in Denmark! In addition a number of additional riders who will join in Scandinavia for parts of the journey. Sadly another member of the team (Sean Cull) has had to drop out at the last minute due to family issues.
We will be leaving on 21st May 2014 and returning to England on the 6th June 2014 if all goes to plan, ending our journey in Wales where we meet up with a group of walkers who are doing Dander4Dosh at the same time as us also to raise money for their choice of charities.
So why am I taking part in this? There are a number of reasons, the personal challenge, the love of riding and the chance to do something most people never do are high on my list but the chance to raise money for a worthwhile charity that is close to my heart has to be the top of that list. I have lost some of the most important people in my life to Cancer, my Grandfather was taken by the disease when I was in my teens. Maybe today his life could have been saved with the advances in medicine but in the early 1980’s the treatments were less advanced. It will be five years ago in August that my mother was diagnosed with lung cancer, four weeks later she died suddenly due to complications, I never really had a chance to say my goodbyes, we never really even had a chance to talk much during that short period. Then two years ago I received a call from my father with the news that he had also been diagnosed with lung cancer along with cancer of the bowel and liver. I was devastated and still dealing with the loss of my mother. He fought hard and with support he had another year of life but in the end the illness and the treatments were too much and he passed away last May.
So I have lived with the pain that comes with losing loved ones that are taken by cancer too young, I have watched my closest family fight and suffer as a result of the illness and the treatments and I know it’s emotionally draining and overwhelming. Macmillan Cancer Support are there for you whether you are yourself fighting the illness or you are family or friends dealing with that situation.
Any money you can donate to Macmillan as a result of this expedition will make a difference to someone’s life so follow the link on this page and donate however big or small the amount!
Follow this blog and keep up to date on the expedition as it unfolds!
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