10 Superheroes on a
crusade to ride the length of the Country
In December our wonderful son Alastair Burnett, aged 6, died of
Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukaemia (JMML) – a rare and aggressive
leukaemia. He was an incredible, brave boy who impressed all
with his fight, his desire for life and his natural ability to
bring humour to all situations.
In Alastair’s memory a group of 10 family and close friends – in
their late thirties and forties – have come together to raise
money for the Royal Marsden in Surrey. We set ourselves the
challenge of each cycling from John O’'Groats to Land’s End. 866
miles in 10 days. Alastair loved superheroes and as a result we
will be doing sections of the ride in various superhero outfits!
We are raising money for the paediatric department at the Royal
Marsden in Sutton, who afforded Alastair the most amazing level
of love and care. His treatment involved a year of intensive
chemotherapy as well as what we hoped would be a life saving
bone marrow transplant. Although he lost his battle – we could
have not asked for more from the medical staff. We hope that by
raising vital funds others will benefit from their research
skills, facilities and care - thereby enhancing the lives of
other children battling leukaemia.
Message to AlisBigRide from Phil Liggett, cycling journalist and broadcaster: "There are so many kind and
caring people in our World who give us hope for the future.
The staff at the Children's department of the Royal Marsden
hospital are the the finest examples of this. Any help you
can give this wonderful place will help give them the power
to continue their great work."
Message to AlisBigRide from Fearne Cotton, TV Presenter and Radio 1 DJ:
"I'm so glad I got to meet Alastair at the Royal Marsden and spend some time with him.
I wish you guys so much love and luck for your cycle."
Message to AlisBigRide from Alastair Campbell, Chairman of fundraising for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research:
"Alastair was clearly a very brave little boy, hugely loved by his family. They will never
replace him, nor ever stop missing him, and thinking of the life he would have led had leukaemia
not taken him from them. But in every minute of training they do, in every pedal stroke from one end
of the country to the other, in every penny raised and every Superhero uniform worn along the way,
they will be paying homage both to Alastair and to the wonderful staff at the Royal Marsden who
worked so tirelessly to try to beat this awful disease. The survival rates for childhood leukaemia
have gone from being a virtual death sentence half a century ago to around 90 per cent today.
Alastair was one of the unlucky ones. But in taking on this cycling challenge, and helping to raise
funds for the Marsden, those he left behind are helping to ensure that others get the same level
of care that he got, with hopefully a greater chance of survival"
