Jon's epic bike ride for cancer fund
He could have under three years to live – but Shropshire farm business consultant Jon Birchall has decided to use the time travelling around the country on his beloved 28-year-old Yamaha motorbike.
He sets off tomorrow on a 5,000-mile journey around the coast of mainland Britain as part of his fundraising campaign Facing Up 2 Kidney Cancer.
In 2010 Jon's cancer was misdiagnosed and despite a correct diagnosis and surgery the following year to remove his left kidney and tumour, it was later found that the cancer had already spread to his lungs.
Jon is riding for the James Whale Fund for Kidney Cancer
Offers of support and donations can be made at www.facingup2kidneycancer.org
Alternatively, visit www.justgiving.com/facingup2kidneycancer
Text JBKC55 £5 to 70070 to donate £5, or amount preceded by £
To keep up to date with Jons progress, visit www.facebook.com/FacingUp2KidneyCancer and Twitter @facingup2kc
He then undertook a two-week course of Interleukin2 – a biological therapy drug – but was not a responder.
Jon, 54, has been told he has an estimated 30 to 40 months and has dedicated that time to promoting awareness of early diagnosis and raising funds for research into treatments and an eventual cure for kidney cancer.
He said: "Receiving the news that my kidney cancer had spread and that my prognosis was terminal had a devastating effect on my wife Sarah and me, as well as 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 importance of early diagnosis of kidney cancer."
Jon, who lives in Hereford and works as a farm business consultant for Balfours Shrewsbury, will ride for the James Whale Fund for Kidney Cancer.
He said: "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 reason to do it."I would love to meet as many people as possible, I'm very excited about the ride. I really would like people to come out, say hello join me for a few – or many – miles.
"But also give to the fund because it is so important."
Jon said that 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 cure.
More than 10,000 people are diagnosed with kidney cancer and more than 4,000 lose their lives to the disease each year. Early diagnosis greatly improves survival rates.
Symptoms include a rise in blood pressure, blood in urine, persistent low back pain or pain in your side between your ribs and hipbone, or a lump or mass in the area of your kidneys – anyone with these should see a GP as soon as possible.
