Gareth’s courage inspires club to donate £250 to challenge

Gareth Emmerson, of Ford, near Shrewsbury, who has Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of bone and tissue cancer which primarily affects teenagers and young adults, is to cycle 1,000 miles from Land’s End to John O’Groats over 12 days on June 8.

He is making the gruelling ride with his fiancé Zoe, to whom he is getting married in July, plus dad Andy and best pals to raise cash to research his illness.

He already has raised more than £53,000.

Over the past seven years he's beaten cancer three times, but on each occasion it has returned more aggressively and spread to different parts of his body.

Last November he found out it was back for a fourth time, now in his lungs, lymph nodes and brain, and his diagnosis became terminal.

But rather than dwell on the news, warehouse manager Gareth wrote a bucket list and set himself the mammoth endurance challenge.

The plan is to complete the cycling fundraiser before marrying his childhood sweetheart Zoe.

In response to a proposal by Rotarian Garth Joscelyne who knows the family, Shrewsbury Severn Rotary Club didn’t hesitate to agree to the donation.

Garth said: “I have known Gareth’s brother Sam for some time and of course got to hear of Gareth’s situation which was obviously very concerning.

Underfunded

“Under the circumstances, I think this is a wonderful effort on his behalf to raise money for Sarcoma UK.”

Gareth hopes that part of his legacy will be increased awareness around the condition as well as vital funds to go towards research that will help save young lives.

"Sarcoma UK is the only national charity that funds vital research and campaigns for better treatments for all types of Sarcoma," he said.

"This is currently a hugely underfunded area.

“The charity gets no government funding whatsoever and because of that treatments and survival rates are not moving forward quickly enough.

"The first line drugs used to treat Sarcomas were developed 40 years ago.

“Any donations to help the charity will be hugely welcome.”

Gareth’s challenge is made all the more extraordinary by the fact he is training while having chemotherapy.

He is currently in London where he is having regular chemo sessions at hospital.

To get behind Gareth’s fundraising mission visit justgiving.com/fundraising/teamgazemmerson