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SON TO CYCLE 1,600 MILES FROM CHESHIRE TO SPAIN IN 20 DAYS IN MEMORY OF MUM

Father-of-two Jonathan Mawby, from Timperley, will embark on a mammoth 1,600-mile cycle from Altrincham to Aguilas in Southern Spain, in memory of his mother Lee, who was diagnosed with the incurable blood cancer myeloma back in 2018.

In the end myeloma didn’t claim her life – instead she died from multiple organ failure as a result of malnutrition. An inquest into her death found that Lee had gone 17 days without food or nutrition. During her hospital stay she also contracted E. coli and sepsis.

She never even had a chance to undergo proper treatment for her myeloma. It’s now believed Lee had become ill as a side-effect of her cancer treatment (which was missed).

Jonathan wants “something good to come out of this”, hence the challenge.

Over the 20-day glute-busting challenge, the Autopoint Knutsford garage owner will have to contend with hairpin bends and steep terrain – by the end of the journey, he will have climbed the equivalent of twice the height of Mount Everest.

Aguilas is a place close to the family’s heart as Jonathan’s parents used to holiday there.

His sister Sally Silver, 42, (a mother-of-two, from Compstall, near Stockport) along with her 15-month-old son, and dad Mike will accompany him on the journey and act as a mini support-vehicle convoy.

At its peak the mammoth challenge will see Jonathan climb 3,000 metres over two days.

Jonathan is hoping to raise £10,000 for blood cancer charity Myeloma UK towards a cure and has already collected £4,614 so far.

Lee Mawby and her husband Mike are/were well-known publicans who ran several pubs locally over the years, including The George in Marple Bridge, The Unity in Hyde and The Andrew Arms in Compstall.

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/altrinchamtoaguilas

QUOTE FROM JONATHAN MAWBY:

He said: “I'll be cycling around 80 miles a day for 20 consecutive days to ride the 1,600-mile distance. It's going to be tough! I'm raising money for Myeloma UK in memory of my lovely mum, Lee, who died on 5 October 2020. She had been diagnosed with myeloma in December 2018. Myeloma is currently incurable. Treatments can be effective at controlling the disease but as I know from Mum's experience, they don't work for all patients.

“My hope is to raise much-needed funds to find kinder, less intrusive treatments and ultimately to find a cure. Any donations will be greatly appreciated. There are many long, cold and wet nights, mornings and weekends ahead of me - and that's just the training - and knowing we're raising money in memory of my Mum will spur me on.

“I’ve never done something this mad before. The timing seemed right to do something in her honour. It’s been timed to the second so if we get a mechanical bike failure we will just have to get moving and get on with it. My mum would probably think I’m completely mad. She would probably say, ‘Why on Earth would you want to do that for?’. It would mean a great deal to hit the target. I will get there – whether it’s on one wheel or two. I hope it’s on two.”

QUOTE FROM SALLY SILVER:

Sally Silver said: “My brother doesn’t do things by halves. We want some good to come of what happened to our mum. One of the things we’re passionate about is funding kinder treatments for myeloma. Cancer treatments shouldn’t be worse than the cancer itself. We still have some way to go to make sure that treatments are kinder and have fewer side effects so that living with illnesses that are not currently curable is at least more manageable. The progress that’s been made with myeloma is astounding and improving quality of life is a huge spur for us.”

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

Lee Mawby was 71 when she was diagnosed with smouldering myeloma (also known as asymptomatic myeloma) an early form of the incurable blood cancer myeloma, in December 2018.

The cancer became ‘active’ in May 2020, in the middle of lockdown, causing her vertebra to fracture. She was quickly put on treatment.

Although she seemed to respond to treatment at first, in August 2020, she became inexplicably ill and was rushed to hospital. Doctors put her symptoms down to gastroenteritis. Her family was unable to visit due to the pandemic but called their mother daily to monitor the situation.

Lee’s condition only worsened, and despite the family’s best efforts to advocate for her and try to get to the bottom of things, she died on October 5, 2020. She was 73.

In the end myeloma didn’t claim her life – instead she died from multiple organ failure as a result of malnutrition. An inquest into her death found that Lee had gone 17 days without food or nutrition due to delays and other failings. During her hospital stay she also contracted E. coli and sepsis.

She never even had a chance to undergo proper treatment for her myeloma. It’s now believed Lee had become ill as a side-effect of her cancer treatment (which was missed).

WHAT IS MYELOMA?

  • Myeloma is an incurable blood cancer that occurs in the bone marrow and currently affects more than 24,000 people in the UK
  • On average 16 people are diagnosed with myeloma every day in the UK
  • Despite being the third most common type of blood cancer, myeloma is especially difficult to detect as symptoms, chief among them pain, easily broken bones, fatigue and recurring infection, are often linked to general ageing or minor conditions
  • While it is incurable, myeloma is treatable in the majority of cases
  • Treatment aims to control the disease, relieve the complications and symptoms it causes, increase patients’ life expectancy and improve their quality of life. It generally leads to periods of remission, but patients inevitably relapse requiring further treatment
  • Myeloma is the 19th most common type of cancer
  • Myeloma mostly affects people aged 65 and over but it has been diagnosed in people as young as 20

10 KEY STATISTICS

  • Around 5,800 people are diagnosed with myeloma every year
  • Eight people die from myeloma every day
  • More than 3,000 people die from myeloma every year
  • 74% of people diagnosed with myeloma every year are over 65
  • Half of all myeloma patients will survive their disease for five years or more
  • Around one third of myeloma patients will survive their disease for ten years or more
  • Half of patients face a wait of over five months to receive the right diagnosis and around a third are diagnosed through an emergency route
  • A third of myeloma patients visit their GP at least three times before getting a diagnosis
  • Myeloma is the third most common type of blood cancer
  • Myeloma makes up 2% of all new cancer cases diagnosed ever year

ABOUT MYELOMA UK

  • Myeloma UK is the only organisation in the UK exclusively dedicated to myeloma and related conditions
  • We receive no core Government funding and rely almost entirely on voluntary donations and fundraising
  • Our ultimate goal is to find a cure and make myeloma history. Until then, our mission is to help every patient live well with myeloma for as long as possible
  • We are committed to diagnosing myeloma earlier, discovering and sharing knowledge, transforming the patient experience and influencing positive change in care
  • We provide a range of crucial information and support services for patients, their family and friends
  • Our free Myeloma Infoline is available on 0800 980 3332, Monday-Friday 9am-5pm (closed weekends and some public holidays)
  • To find out more about myeloma and the work of Myeloma UK, visit www.myeloma.org.uk or follow us on Twitter @MyelomaUK and Facebook, facebook.com/myelomauk/

Pictured - Jonathan Mawby with his mother Lee.

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