Sponsorship

Summits Appeal for Ovarian Cancer Trials

Since the group was registered in May 2000, things have moved on apace. Its has established its identify, put in place many of its procedures and completed the first year's programme of five sponsored walks to the highest points of Essex, Caernarfonshire, Cumberland, Invernesshire and Middlesex - raising pledges of approximately £1 ,200 in the process.

Summits Appeal was prompted after my wife became ill with ovarian cancer in early 1 997. She was fortunate to be in South Essex just as a new long-term trial involving Taxol, along with other chemotherapy drugs, and led by Dr Alan Lamont was about to start; she was included on the programme, otherwise I do not think she would be alive today. At the time I had been looking for a long-term means to keep fit until I retire, and after reading a book written by Russell Grant, had finally settled on a 10-year jaunt to visit the highest points of all the traditional countries of the UK.

It was shortly after I decided that I could achieve this that I read an article in the local paper about the need for funding for the trial at Southend Hospital and recognised that what I was proposing to do would lend itself very well to a sponsored event to raise funds for the trial. At the time there appeared to be no reliable way of ensuring that any funds raised nationally would go where I wanted them to go, and together with some friends, we set about establishing a trust fund for the purpose. The objectives of the trust have been expanded to allow us to ultimately be able to support any ovarian cancer trials projects supported by a relevant protocol document.

We were informed of the existence of Ovacome shortly after we had submitted our first application for registration as a charity. It was then that I wrote to Debbie to let you know of our purpose, and to ask if there was any way that we could ally ourselves to Ovacome. As our objectives do not conflict, together they could improve the prospects for all victims of ovarian cancer. Debbie wrote a very supportive reply.

My wife's condition has followed a familiar roller coaster of anxiety and elation as she has progressed from remission to relapse on at least two occasions since 1997. At the moment she is on a course of chemotherapy that is normally used to treat breast cancer. She appears to be responding well after being told a short while ago that there appeared to be no further options.

All along, Jo has made a determined effort to fight off the disability and refuses to give in. She amazed all the health professionals with whom she has come into contact because of her attitude and ability to continue her life as if the condition did not exist. I have believed all along that Jo will ultimately defeat the cancer even though both herself and Dr Lamont appear to think otherwise, he can be blunt, but he is remarkably tenacious.

I am excited by all the recent potential for cancer generally with the completion of the genome project, the development of vaccines, and advanced detection methods that can pick up warning signs much earlier in the development of cancers allowing both earlier treatments and maintaining remission, by allowing treatment to be given before the condition becomes severe enough to relapse.

It may be a while before these are widely available, but I am certain that Jo's fortitude will keep her fighting until they can be widely introduced and give her the opportunity to defeat the cancer. I have visited Ovacome's website several times recently, and have seen how busy you have been with all the changes taking place as you have grown significantly; moving in to your new offices and expanding your website to include, at my last visit, all but one of the past issues of your newsletter. I think that you are doing a tremendous job making people aware of the insidious nature of ovarian cancer and making available information that can ultimately save lives.

We are about to start expanding the fund-raising activities for Summits Appeal outside the local area from where all our income has until now originated and as I will be starting my sponsored walks programme again in March I am asking if you would ask your members if they could offer us support as I progress my walks around the country.

The intention is to complete between 8 and 10 walks every year visiting one county a month between March and October for the next 10 years. I will be accompanied by my mascot, my two-year-old Scottish terrier, Thorn, who has helped me successfully climb Ben Nevis, Snowdon and Scafell Pike in 2000, and completed long walks in excess of 18 miles to the summits of Essex and Middlesex.
John Ashley
Chair, Summits Appeal for Ovarian Cancer Trials,
Wellington, Southend Road, Corringham, Essex SS1 7 9ET
Telephone 01 268 555226

Editor's Note: Can you involve the Summits Appeal in any of your local events or would you like to sponsor John? If so please make contact with him I know he will truly appreciate any help