Been quiet for a few days

Haven't posted for a few days, variety of reasons. What follows is not meant to be preachy, but is not the usual light touch banter that I blog about...

I was reminded earlier this week that whilst I am doing this ride, hopefully enjoying the ride with my wife Jenni and daughter Ruth able to join me (son Sam still working unfortunately), for some families out there, the life they had planned out and the chance of doing things like this may not be there at the moment and will certainly be different in the future.

During the course of the ride, statistics say that 24 people between 14 and 35 will die from undiagnosed heart complaints. When that happens, life will also stop for the families and close friends of those lost. How those families deal with everything that happens then and into the future, I can only begin to imagine, but all I can do is help reduce the chances of that happening by helping raise money for screening days.

I know that we are lucky and I am so grateful that Jenni and I have been able to enjoy a couple of days away in Liverpool with Ruth, seeing her thriving at University, proudly taking us around the city and being together when we hear from Sam that he has got what he wanted in the captaincy of his Ultimate Frisbee team at the University of Surrey next season, whilst loving his placement year at Reeds and planning his future academic studies.

When we do get around to arranging the screening days that this ride is working towards, I am definitely taking advantage of my position in helping organise things to get both those two screened.

That is one of the reasons why I am doing this. Sure, I want to do the ride, I hope I will be able to do it and enjoy it, but the purpose to see that we can organise screenings in Lewes and Brighton through raising just £12,000 that will see 200 young people screened is also a really powerful driver as families and friends should be given the best chance of avoiding these unwanted tragedies.

If we raise £15,500, we can do three screenings, and referring to the statistics again, in 300 people screened, 1 person may be found who has a condition that was undiagnosed and need further screening that may lead to further action being taken that could in effect save their life.

Statistics will always be out. We may find none, we may find 10, but we will give them the chance.

Tomorrow, I will return to a lighter tone of posts, just occasionally, need reminding of what is behind what I am doing here......