David Lee Robinson

Before meeting Dave, I have been aware of people suffering from many types of cancer and charities that support patients and their respective families and friends. I have been quite happy to contribute small amounts of money via raffles, collection buckets, well you do don't you? This time it is personal, Dave is 28 years old, he has everything to live for and I feel it's necessary for me to do my utmost, my best, to support him in this fight. I intend to do this by undertaking a journey, a route in 24 hours. What I mean by this, I am no professional cyclist, sure I cycle to work when I can, balancing the whole family thing, children, schools, my wife. However that doesn't make me a professional, far from it. This is my chance, my opportunity to make a difference, to show that this is a fight, a fight that I can undertake by pushing myself to my limits. I want to do more, in some respects it will be a relief to put thought into action. The challenge, which is no mean one, is to travel 186 miles. 186, God, let me think about that for a minute. 186 miles, this is not a small cycle journey around Hinckley, this isn't going to Leicester and back home again beating down traffic, and people and rain after a day on the job. This is 186 miles of B roads, through wind and rain, uphill and down dale, blood, sweat and tears. Of course I am not alone, does that make this attempt easier, maybe, but how many more people are counting on me to succeed. An attempt which I will do my damndest to succeed in, to travel to Exeter in Devon from Leicester in 24 hours.

So that's the long and short of it, you have finished your tea or coffee no doubt by this point, perhaps breakfast is at an end and you are preparing to go about your every day business. Why wouldn't you? It was what I would be doing. However I have something different to achieve at this point. I am looking for support to complete this venture. Back to the money, I suppose you knew it was coming right? Dave is a great guy, his fiancé too (well she's not a guy, but you get the idea!) he needs all our support, and at this time it is of the financial variety. What are you going to do with the money I hear you ask? Team Robinson are trying to raise enough money to get Dave to North Carolina in America to take part in a clinical trial to treat tumours. This is it! It is the only treatment still at the formative stages likely to extend his life. This is your chance to give Dave, his hope, his fiancé's hope and my hope of a better quality of life. This could be your gift of life. That's not a promise, few things are but any chance is worth a shot.

Recently I have witnessed first hand Dave enduring chemotherapy (not nice!), all manner of tests and some pretty awful effects (loss of balance, loss of sensation on the right side of his body and sometimes affecting his speech). When you admire someone as a friend and as a colleague as I do with Dave, this is extremely difficult to watch. I cannot begin to know how Dave, Almina and their families and friends must feel but I will do my best to help them through this!

Sergeant Nick White, Colleague and Friend