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On 9th July 2016 we will be attempting to cycle 200 miles in 1 day, to raise much needed funds for the Prince of Wales Hospice in Pontefract, West Yorkshire 

This event will be held in memory of Mrs Joan Valerie Brannon (My Mum) who sadly passed away on 10th January 2016

This is our story

In November 2015 Mum was admitted to Dewsbury Hospital after some investigative blood tests showed some abnormalities in her sodium levels. After many scans and tests we were told that Mum had terminal cancer in one of her kidneys and it had spread to her bones and to her lungs.

Mum was not offered the traditional cancer treatment such as chemotherapy as it was thought that such an aggressive treatment was not the right thing to do and that the outcome would eventually be the same, She was discharged from hospital and put on pain relief medication to be administered at home.

While at home Mum required round the clock care which as a family we tried to provide supported by Marie Curie and Macmillan nurses. However, it was obvious that the cancer was progressing faster than we all had expected and the pain and fear the illness was causing was hard for Mum to deal with and hard for us as a family to witness.

On 30th December 2015 Mum was admitted to The Prince of Wales Hospice in Pontefract to re-assess her medication. Unfortunately her kidneys had started to struggle with the morphine she was prescribed at home and the following day (New Years Eve) she took a turn for the worst. We nearly lost her that night but remarkably she made it through to the following day and regained consciousness. This gave us a few precious days to say our goodbyes and Mum a chance to try to come to terms with what was happening to her.

This was a very emotional and stressful time for us as a family. The doctors, nurses, healthcare workers and even the cleaning staff at The Prince of Wales Hospice all played their part in making this time more bearable. They literally took us in and looked after us.  We were able to stay as a family with Mum the whole time we were there.  They gave us a private family room and made sure we had all the basic essentials we needed.  They offered valued emotional and practical support throughout the 11 days we were there.

Our story is no different to that of thousands of other families. The difference is that we were very lucky to find ourselves in the right place at the right time on New Years Eve.  Due to Mum's condition at the time,  we were given the use of the Hospice's family suite that happened to be available. What does fill me with sadness is that I feel we were the lucky ones, I am sure that there are other families going through similar situations who these facilities are not available to, or even struggling with a dying loved one within their own homes. I therefore would like to attempt to raise as much money as we can to help the hospice provide this same care to other patients and their families. 

We aim to ride 200 miles on Saturday 9th July 2016 (Dawn till Dusk)

Myself and some very good friends from Rugged and Refined Cycling (a social media group of cycling friends who have offered to make sure I complete this challenge and maybe raise some money as well) will set off at around 5 am in the morning from the Prince of Wales Hospice in Pontefract. We will ride east towards Goole, then follow the south bank of the River Ouse and down the River Trent to the bridge at Gunness. We will then cross the river and head back up the Trent, through Flixbrough, Normanby and then Winterton,  onto and over the Humber Bridge where we will then head east to Withersea and head up the coast through Hornsea towards Bridlington to Barmston where we will turn west, go through Driffield, Pocklington, Stamford Bridge and eventually York where at last we will turn south to the bridge at Cawood and then head back to the Hospice in Pontefract. Hopefully arriving back late in the evening of the same day. 

Thank you for taking the time to read our story. If you would like to help us do this then you are welcome to join me on the ride. Or if you would rather please make a donation through my just giving page.

100% of the donations will go to the hospice. 

With much appreciation and thanks

Paul Brannon

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