Surprised & Thankful

A while back, we received a phone call saying we had been nominated by our Cancer Research UK (CRUK) representatives (Sophie, Hollie & Jess) for CRUK's Flame of Hope Awards, under the category of 'Fundraising Volunteer'. Then we were told we had won: Flame of Hope-Fundraising Volunteer of the Year 2021! This was wholly unexpected, and we found ourselves to be proud, humbled, surprised, and thankful. All at the same time.

When we collected our award, we were able to be in the company of a room full of people who labour continuously for CRUK, ensuring that there is money for research. We were in a room filled with like-minded people who hold on to the hope that one day cancer will be beaten.

A highlight was the keynote address given by the chairman of CRUK, Prof Sir Lesek Borysiewicz. He spoke about hope, and that CRUK's aim of 3 out of 4 surviving cancer by 2034 is not wishful thinking, but grounded in the evidence of scientific progress. Looking back to the past and comparing then to today, there has been remarkable progress. In ten years time, the same will be said. And that means given the expertise and continual research, hope for a cure is realistic.

That's why we keep riding. We are well on our way to achieving our goal, and as we continue to make plans for our USA ride, we are hopeful that we will exceed our goal by a significant amount. We are aiming to be audacious, and we're immensely grateful to Mitch, Krista, and Michael Lynn at the American Association for Cancer Research for their interest in Riding for Adam. Watch this space...

Now, we have achieved good results, and the reason for that is because we have been given terrific support. First, and without whom we could never take the time to cycle thousands of miles, our wives (Karen and Penny) make huge sacrifices that are almost unseen. Without them we would be greatly diminished! Second, we have fantastic support from CRUK, and our local representatives (Sophie for Mark, and Hollie & Jess for James) as well as CRUK press team have helped enormously in getting our story out there. We thank all those who have given, and have encouraged others to give, for without the donations, we would just be going on long rides with no purpose.

All of this would still be true if we hadn't won the award. Our motivation is not recognition, good as it may be, but always hope for all whose lives have been impacted by cancer. That was Adam's hope, and so it will always be ours.