Julie’s Charity Bike Ride – July 15th 2007
Julie Damon has an inspirational reason to support the NET Patient Foundation.
Just one year after she married her husband Bill he was diagnosed medullary thyroid cancer, a type of NET. That was in 1985 – and he is still going strong, working despite some uncomfortable symptoms.
As Julie says of her husband ‘That’s positive thinking for you.’
At the time of Bill’s diagnosis Julie says that not enough was known about his illness.
‘We went back and forth to Southampton Hospital for 24 years trying various treatments. He kept fairly well but there was no real progress as this is a rare and slow growing cancer.’
Despite the illness the couple went on to have their son Mark, now 16 and an apprentice brick layer.
In 2004 Bill transferred from Southampton to the Royal Free under the care of Dr Martyn Caplin.
‘Bill has gone through a lot and has had Y90 yttrium therapy in 2005 when he was unwell and it seems to have helped. His cancer causes an upset stomach daily and he is very tired but still keeps going to work full time.
‘We can’t thank Dr Caplin enough for what he has done for Bill so far.’
This is why it is good to give something back from our sponsored bike ride. My friend Sue and I have been raising money over the years for Cancer Research, CLIC, Barnado’s, the British Heart Foundation and now NETs – we finally achieved it on 15 July 2007 in between all that rain!’
Julie and Sue rode for 30 miles and raised a magnificent £523.
Thank you so much.
