Workmates get in a spin for bowel cancer patient Amy
The workmates of a young mum diagnosed with stage three bowel cancer took part in a Spinathon challenge in her honour.
Staff at The Training Room, in Fleets Corner, Poole, competed in teams to see who could pedal the furthest on static spinning bikes loaned by DW Fitness First.
All sponsorship from the event went to the charity Dorset Cancer Care Foundation (DCCF), which helped their colleague Amy Upshall during her gruelling treatment.
Management accountant Amy, 32, from Broadstone, was diagnosed with bowel cancer in December last year.
The mum of two said she had voiced concerns that she had bowel cancer several times in the three years before her diagnosis, even alerting doctors to the fact that her grandad and great grandad both died of the disease, but she was told this was considered unlikely due to her young age.
Amy Upshall (left bike), her CEO Andrew Powel (right bike) and colleagues from The Training Room in Poole took part in a charity Spinathon for Dorset Cancer Care Foundation (DCCF).
When she suffered a second, major, rectal bleed in November 2017 she was given scans which revealed the cancer.
Six weeks later she was taken seriously ill and underwent a six-hour operation to remove a tumour and large section of her bowel.
Amy has managed to return to work, but many of the pastimes she enjoyed with her husband Gavin and children Riley, six and Mollie, five, are now difficult or impossible.
She said: “Life will never be the same, but everyone, including my workmates, have been so supportive and I was thrilled when they said they wanted to do a Spinathon for Dorset Cancer Care Foundation (DCCF).”
DCCF was set up in 2013 to help Dorset cancer patients cope with the financial pressures cancer can cause.
The charity gives grants for everything from short breaks and family days out, to specialist equipment, transport costs to and from hospital and household bills.
Amy said: “The stress of money worries on top of the cancer makes everything even more difficult to deal with. DCCF gave me £500 to help with household bills when I was going through chemotherapy and their help really gave us a boost and made us feel there are people out there, who really care about others.”
She added: “I’m thrilled to say the Spinathon raised £429.13 and our company has kindly matched that figure too, so a fantastic £858.26 is going to DCCF to help another family like mine.”
Amy’s donation will go into DCCF’S High Five Campaign.
Launched this month to mark the charity’s fifth anniversary, High Five asks individuals, groups of friends and local businesses to contribute five pounds or more, with the goal of raising £250,000 in the coming year to fund even more grants for Dorset Cancer patients.
Thank you to Amy and all at The Training Room for their amazing support!
For more information and to get involved visit: www.dccf.co.uk
