PRESS RELEASE
April 12, 2015
Facing Up 2 Kidney Cancer
with 5,000 mile charity motorbike ride around mainland Britain
At 12noon, on June 6 from the Comedy Carpet in the shadow of the iconic Blackpool Tower, terminal kidney cancer patient Jon Birchall will set off on his motorbike for the biggest journey of his life.
In 2010 Jon’s cancer was misdiagnosed, and despite a correct diagnosis and surgery in 2013 to remove his left kidney and tumour, it was later found that the cancer had already spread to his lungs. In 2014 Jon undertook a gruelling two-week course of Interleukin2 at The Christie in Manchester but unfortunately he was not a responder.
In aid of the James Whale Fund for Kidney Cancer, Jon will ride over 5,000 miles around the coast of mainland Britain around England, Wales and Scotland, to show the world he will not be beaten and that he is: ‘Facing Up 2 Kidney Cancer’.
Following his experience, Jon - 54, happily married and ‘BBC Farmer of the Year 2010’ - has committed to spend his remaining time, estimated to be 30 to 40 months, promoting awareness of early diagnosis and
raising funds for research into treatments and an eventual cure for kidney cancer for the James Whale Fund for Kidney Cancer. This ride is the start of Jon’s campaign.
Offers of support and donations can be made at:
www.facingup2kidneycancer.org
www.jameswhalefund.org
Just Giving search facingup2kidneycancer
Text JBKC55 £5 to 70070 to donate £5, or amount preceded by £
A Facebook page has been created for people to follow Jon’s progress as well as to offer support in the form of sponsorship, assisting with underwriting running and the mechanical costs of the bike along with overnight accommodation and meals on the route at: www.facebook.com/FacingUp2KidneyCancer and twitter @facingup2kc. Anyone wishing to interact on social media should use the #facingup2kc hashtag. Should any individuals, motorbike clubs, societies, or businesses wish to join Jon at any point in the event, they would be most welcome. Please let us know when you will be joining the tour by emailing sarah@facingup2kidneycancer.org in advance if at all possible please.
Across five stages, Jon will travel the highways and byways of coastal Great Britain on his trusted and much loved twenty-eight year old Yamaha FJ1200, witnessing its true beauty while taking tea in as many National Trust locations as possible!
This is an abridged itinerary of the five stages:
Stage One starts on June 6th and will see Jon travel from the North West through Wales as he sets off from Blackpool to Chepstow over five days via: Liverpool, Rhyl, Llandudno, Porthmadog, Aberystwyth, Tenby, Swansea, Cardiff ending at the mouth of the river Wye at Chepstow.
Stage Two starts on July 4th and will be mainly Scotland; Berwick to Blackpool as he rides the glorious coast road via: Edinburgh, Dundee, Arbroath, Aberdeen, Banff, Elgin, Inverness, John O’Groats, Tongue, Ullapool, Fort William, Kyle of Lochalsh, Loch Lomond, Dumbarton, Maybole, Stranraer, Dumfries, Gretna, Carlisle, Whitehaven, Seascale, Grange over Sands, Morecambe Bay, Fleetwood, Blackpool.
Stage Three starts on 3rd August and will be the East Coast; Berwick to Colchester via: Whitley Bay, South Shields, Hartlepool, Middlesborough, Whitby, Scarborough, Bridlington, Hull, Skegness, Kings Lynn, Cromer, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft down to Ipswich.
On Stage Four starts on September 1st and Jon will ride the South West/ South and South East of England from Bristol to Dartford, taking in Minehead, Boscastle, Newquay, Penzance, The Lizard, Looe, Plymouth, Torquay, Lyme Regis, Portland Bill, Bournemouth, Brighton, Hastings, Dover, Margate, Chatham, and Dartford.
Stage Five will be the last hurrah from Colchester to London later in September via: Southend on Sea, along the A13 to Grays, Tilbury, Poplar, through the City, passing Kings Cross and Marylebone Place to the grand finale at a central London point to be announced soon.
A full itinerary is available to view via a link at: www.facingup2kidneycancer.org or www.jameswhalefund.org or by contacting sarah@facingup2kidneycancer.org
Jon said: “Receiving the news that my kidney cancer had spread, and that my prognosis was terminal had a devastating effect on Sarah and me, along with our friends and family. I'm not a do nothing person, and once I’d conquered the initial shock, I made my mind up to do everything I could to prevent other people suffering the same fate. I want to emphasise to everyone, including the medical profession, the vital importance of early diagnosis of kidney cancer.
Early diagnosis is quite simply the difference between life and death. If caught early there is a very good chance of achieving a cure. In my case two years were lost before the disease was correctly diagnosed. Even though I’ve had a radical nephrectomy and drastic immunotherapy it has proved impossible to halt the disease and my situation was described by the consultant as utterly hopeless.
A better awareness of the symptoms of kidney cancer will help early diagnosis as will the development of effective tests. I intend to promote awareness and raise funds by getting on my motorbike and talking about my experiences with my ‘Facing Up 2 Kidney Cancer’ coastal tour of mainland Britain.
Jon said of his charity motorbike ride; “I love my motorbike and I love this country and I want to see as much of it as possible. This is a ride I have always wanted to do and now I have a real purpose to do it. I would love to meet as many people as possible as I travel around the country, I’m very excited about the ride. Come out, say hello or get on your bike and join me for a few – or many – miles but please, give to the fund because it is so important. The money raised will be used to fund early detection awareness campaigns and also pay for a research assistant to look for ways to detect kidney cancer earlier and eventually find a cureâ€.
Over 10,000 people are diagnosed with kidney cancer with more than 4,000 lose their lives to the disease each year, and these numbers are on the rise. Kidney cancer is the eighth most common cancer in the UK and the seventh most common type of cancer among men and tenth among women. Early diagnosis greatly improves survival rates. Should you show any symptoms such as blood in urine, persistent low back pain or pain in your side between your ribs and hipbone, or if you feel a lump or mass in the area of your kidneys see your GP without delay. Jon’s symptoms were atypical and he suffered from fatigue, fevers, and chills.
-Ends-
To arrange interviews at any stage of the event, offer support or
for further information on the event contact:
Facing Up 2 Kidney Cancer
Event Organisers Jon and Sarah Birchall – 07711-290866
sarah@facingup2kidneycancer.org
www.facingup2kidneycancer.org
Second line contact, or for further information on kidney cancer:
James Whale Fund for Kidney Cancer
PR Manager Malcolm Packer – 07827-258756
mp@jameswhalefund.org
www.jameswhalefund.org
Notes to editors:
About Facing Up To Kidney Cancer: www.facingup2kidneycancer.org
Facing Up to Kidney Cancer is a non-registered independently run event organised by terminally ill kidney cancer patient Jon Birchall and his wife Sarah to raise funds to promote early diagnosis of, research into early detection of, and research in to a cure for kidney cancer. The event is in aid of, and supported by, the James Whale Fund for Kidney Cancer and Kidney Cancer Scotland. Any funds raised will go to James Whale Fund for the aforementioned projects.
About James Whale Fund For Kidney Cancer: www.jameswhalefund.org
James Whale Fund is the UK’s leading specialist kidney cancer charity. It seeks to reduce the harm caused by kidney cancer by increasing knowledge and awareness, providing patient information and by supporting research into the causes, prevention, and treatment of the disease.
Kidney cancer is now the seventh most common type of cancer in men and ninth amongst women in the UK. Every year in the UK, almost 10,000 people learn that they have kidney cancer with incidence having more than doubled since the mid 1970s. In the past 10 years, kidney cancer rates in the UK have increased by more than 25 percent. For more information and support on kidney cancer, visit www.jameswhalefund.org .
Kidney Cancer Careline. 0330 111 2333. Here To Help, Every Day of the Week
James Whale Fund Ltd is a registered charity in England and Wales (1120146) and Scotland (SC043642)
Creating an elegant email is simple
Now that you’ve selected a template to work with, drag in content blocks to define the structure of your message. Don’t worry, you can always delete or rearrange blocks as needed. Then click “Design†to define fonts, colors, and styles.
|
