A teenager will embark on a 250-mile cycle ride from Lancaster to support his grandmother who has blood cancer.
Leo Palmer, 15, will be cycling from Lancaster to London to raise funds for LMRUK and in honour of Sandra Vallente, who is currently undergoing treatment for multiple myeloma.
Leo, who has just finished his GCSEs and has already raised more than £1,200, hopes to complete the challenge in five days.
He aims to cover more than 50 miles a day – including some challenging hill climbs through the Peak District - and hopes to reach Big Ben in the capital in five days.
His mother, Christina, said she was so proud of her son who decided to undertake the fundraising ride after seeing Sandra, 73, suffer with the disease.
LISTEN to Leo and his dad Jamie talking about the challenge
Mrs Vallente is staying with the Palmer family at their home in Morecambe while undergoing treatment.
“Leo’s Nana was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in October last year and started treatment fairly quickly," said Christina.
"She was diagnosed after breaking her ankle.
“She was in a lot of pain and they couldn’t work out why she wasn’t healing.
"They did a series of tests and found she had multiple myeloma.
"She is staying with us at the moment and has been for several months. She is a major presence in our family.
“We heard about LMRUK because of her diagnosis and treatment.
"Leo decided to do this fundraising because he saw what she was going through.
"Multiple Myeloma is not one of those things you think about until it’s right in front of your nose.
“She is being treated at Royal Lancaster Infirmary. The staff are incredible, the consultant she is under is amazing and the drugs she is on are really giving her a quality of life.”
Leo set himself an initial target of raising £500 for LMRUK, but he has already more than doubled that amount, with more money expected as the ride gets under way.
Leo and his Dad Jamie are making overnight stays in hotels or with relatives.
“I am cycling alone but my Dad is coming with me in the car as back up," said Leo.
"It’s going to take five days covering an average of 50 miles a day.
“I’ve always liked bikes and cycling, but I have never done anything like this before.
"I have been fitting in training between exams and have ridden more than 50 miles in a day, so I’m hopeful it won’t be too bad.
"I think the worst day will be when I am going through the Peak District when there are some big hills.”
Leo is a keen footballer and also takes part in kick-boxing and high jump.
He plans to train as an apprentice in plumbing and heating when he finishes school.
To support Leo’s fundraising go to his Just Giving page HERE.
LMRUK is a blood cancer research charity dedicated to protecting future generations from this disease by investing in specialist research into stem cell therapies as a more effective treatment.
The charity raises awareness and educates people on the common signs and symptoms of blood cancer, and the different treatments available.
LMRUK also offers a part and fully-funded cord blood banking service called the Model Cell Biobank.
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