It’s been a couple of years since I’ve done any substantial cycling but this summer I’ll be taking part in a couple of events in memory of my brother Josh.

On 7th July I’ll be cycling 60 miles from Manchester to Blackpool and on 4th August I’ll be cycling 100 miles as part of the Prudential RideLondon event (the furthest I’ve ever cycled in one day).

In January 2009 Josh was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukaemia aged just 17. What was initially thought to be a manageable disease quickly turned into something much more serious and he had a bone marrow transplant in August of the same year. Whilst this put his leukaemia into remission, he unfortunately suffered from many post-transplant problems and died unexpectedly in February 2015.

Josh was treated on the Young Oncology Unit at The Christie hospital, which provides specialist care for young people aged 16-24 who are undergoing cancer treatment. This unit became a second home to Josh and our family and the care we received was invaluable.

Josh showed bravery that I will forever be in awe of and we miss him more than I can ever say.

All the money raised will be added to Josh's tribute fund - https://josh-hallam.muchloved.com/.

And please sign up to the stem cell register if you can. Whilst this didn't save Josh in the end, it did give him precious extra time to spend with his friends and family. More information can be found via Anthony Nolan (https://www.anthonynolan.org/8-ways-you-could-save-life/donate-your-stem-cells) and The NHS (https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/british-bone-marrow-registry/).

Thank you for reading x