rivers2cross

This month marks 10 years of my fundraising. The anniversary gives me a chance to reflect upon and acknowledge the impact it has had on my own life.

In early 2014 I decided to write and put together the Lives & Times book. I wanted to build on the success of the Beating Bowel Book and decided that the theme of people would hopefully have universal appeal. I didn’t really have much of a plan other than to meet and photograph famous people as well as those affected by cancer. I would then write an anecdotal chapter based upon the experience of meeting them.

The very first request I sent was to Status Quo, as the original Frantic Four line up was playing at the Hammersmith Apollo and I just wondered if I might be able to meet them. The manager’s email address was on the band’s website, so I sent a cheeky email. To my surprise I got a reply and was given a photo pass to photograph the band from the press pit. It was an unforgettable experience and set the tone for the many adventures I was to have over the next 18 months writing the book. If only it had proved as easy every time to contact and get people to be in the book!

It was a wonderful learning experience in terms of using social media working at its best to contact people. Learning how to cope with non-replies and rejection as well as celebrating massive highs when people came on board.

Also, it really was a profoundly life-changing experience. Being a shy and reserved person, I had to come out of my shell. I realised that the people I met would give much more of themselves to an unknown stranger if they met a fun and engaging person, and I think I managed to pull that off! It’s something that I have never looked back on and has stood me in good stead for these last 8 years with the fundraising and friendships I have made x

In many ways the book and the writing of it sums up everything that I am still doing in 2022. It was a real rollercoaster of a ride, a little like the one Gail Porter got me to go on with her at Winter Wonderland for her chapter in the book! When I began writing the book Mum was in remission, but the cancer returned halfway through the book and that really did flick a switch and ignited something inside me that has remained ever since as far as fundraising and raising awareness about bowel cancer goes. When Mum first saw the book, she was reduced to tears. I wasn’t there at the time, but I reckon this was probably the only time in my life that I made her cry. I set the publication date for November 27^th, 2015, to coincide with the third anniversary of the publication of my Beating Bowel Cancer book. Fate meant that there was to be a final kick in the teeth, as during the early hours of November 27^th Mum had a seizure and the cancer had spread to her brain. A day that I had planned to be a celebration of 18 months hard work turned into something very different indeed. Typically Mum took the setback in her stride and was soon back on her horse, Shimara.

Lives & Times remains my single biggest fundraiser. As well as the book, there were the amazing silk screen prints created by Adam Green, so the total went past £4000. The support from family, friends, the bowel cancer community and especially fans of The Alarm was amazing. It led to the forming of countless new friendships and the changes in me as a result of writing the book will remain with me for the rest of my life x