Pete has been suffering from cancer of the tonsil and base of the tongue - but has come through this and is on the road to recovery.
Pete has been well supported by Macmillan Cancer Support and is planning to give something back through taking part in the Bikers4Macmillan Sunset2Sunrise fund raising event over the night of June 21st-22nd. Sunset2Sunrise is an overnight sponsored ride from Holyhead to Skegness ..... of course Pete also has to ride up to Holyhead and back home from Skegness which will make this quite a haul.
So, why am I telling you all this?
Well I was supposed to be riding with Pete on the Sunset2Sunrise but the entries are limited and I had better not sign up and block someone else unless I'm sure I can ride.
I've not ridden for about 5 weeks since I started suffering from vertigo. I saw my doc again today and he says I can't ride until it settles down (and I certainly wouldn't try a long trip unless I knew I'd be OK). Having had dizzy spells every week so far, I really have no idea how long this might keep me off 2 wheels - I hope I'll be OK before the end of June but who knows? The thing is, I can't wait to find out how I am as I need to sign up if I'm to do it .... so sadly, I'll just have to give it a miss.
So, having let Pete down on this, the least I can do is encourage people to sponsor him.
He has a Just Giving page for that very purpose .... and it also contains his story of how he overcame his cancer and his race against time to put enough weight on to ride again. http://www.justgiving.com/falcopete
As a bit of an introduction, here's an extract of his story:
FalcoPete wrote:In Late September 2012 I was diagnosed with cancer of the tonsil and base of the tongue. From the onset the Macmillan Nurses and Staff helped me and my wife Yvonne, come to terms with facing the dreaded words we all fear, 'you have cancer'.
In early November an operation successfully removed a tricky tumour in my neck that could have left me with minimal facial and neck movement but I was in superb hands with Mr Patel, a talented surgeon from the University of Southampton General Hospital and the whole Oncology staff too it must be said.
From November 2012 until early January 2013 I underwent radical, latest technique, chemotherapy (Cetuximab) and radiotherapy (IMRT). This type of treatment was prescribed as I suffer from poor kidney efficiency at a little over 30% and my body would not have withstood the standard treatment. Thank goodness I'm not a horse!!!
On 16th April 2013, the day after my wife’s birthday we received the best news ever..."you have made a complete and full response". That was an emotional moment for us both, with Yvonne being unbelievably supportive and going the extra mile throughout this ordeal. I certainly struck gold with that lady!
At that point I thought the challenge was over, how wrong was that assumption…
The Challenge:
Although having the all clear I have not had a 'proper' meal in over 17 months, surviving on a specialist supplements called Fresubin and Servimed. My mouth is consistently dry, as I now only generate very small amounts of saliva and need to take water with me wherever I go. Unfortunately, my weight had deteriorated and muscle mass had reduced from a healthy 79kgs down to 54.5. A loss of nearly 4 stone.
I was admitted on 2 January 2014 into hospital for a RIG (Radiologically Inserted Gastronomy) tube operation which was ‘installed’ in my stomach to allow me to receive special liquid supplements using the RIG tube. This helps me slowly gain weight again. I suffer from a lack of absorption of foods through also being a diabetic which was caused by having 90% of my pancreas removed, along with my spleen and gall bladder, back in 2002 in the USA as a result of a gall stone. I’m jokingly now referred to as 'the million dollar man' as it took $1.2 million to 'put me right'. Thank goodness for medical insurance and not being a horse!!!
