Blog has hundreds of Views from across the Globe

I have some very interesting facts about where people have been viewing my blog from. I have had over 500 hits to my blog from all continents except Asia. It is extremely exciting that it has been read by people across the world. Obviously the highest number of viewers have come from the United Kingdom where there have been views from across the whole country which I find very encouraging. In addition there is a strong following of viewers stateside where I have several family members. However, the numerous location of views spanning across the whole of USA and even Canada in places that my family don't live show that they have been spreading the word of my blog and inviting their friends to read it too, I appreciate this greatly. In addition, I have had a person follow my blog from Brazil in South America, another person in Perth Australia and several in Uganda. I cannot forget to add that I have a nicely sized group of visitors from mainland Europe as well as the Nordic countries Norway and Sweden.

It is very fascinating how amazing the internet is for bringing people together and allowing information to be accessed from all over the world. I think that I can honestly say that I have been able to spread awareness of Cancer in Uganda. I would like to thank all the people who have viewed my blog from across the world and to encourage you all to invite even more people so that together we can help the patients in Uganda.

ps......if anybody has a friend from Asia, I would love you to ask them to view my blog and to read about Cancer in Uganda so that I can say that I have been able to reach all corners of the globe :-D

We Broke the Cycle

Our Route from Inverkeithing to St Andrews

Yesterday, along with two very good friends Tom and Phil, we broke the cycle. We set off from St Andrews at 7.55 and cycled to Leuchars where our nearest train station is. We took the train to Inverkeithing, a small town just outside Edinburgh where we started the sponsored cycle.

the 3 of us setting off from Dunfermline Train station

Our first stop was at Dunfirmline just 3 miles away from Inverkeithing where we were to meet my dad who accompanied us by car. This short distance was very uphill and took us about 1 hour. By the time we reached my dad we were exhausted already and we'd hardly even started the ride. We gave him our bags and food so that we did not have too much to carry and we agreed to do the first long leg of the journey. 12 miles from Dunfermline to Kinross.

This leg started with another major hill lasting about 5-7 miles. At this point, having cycled such a short distance, we really thought that cycling all the way to St Andrews would be an impossible feat. We were knackered and had very little energy left. However, on reaching the top of the hill, our spirits were lifted by a very exciting down hill. We managed to reach speeds of over 20 miles an hour. After the hard work of the previous 10 miles, we cherished every moment of our downhill pursuit.

Leaving Kinross

We arrived in Kinross where we had our lunch outside the Kinross community campus and also the Health Centre. Tom and I both went into the health centre (we are keen medical students) and were extremely impressed with it's very spacious layout. We would both agree that it would give rise to a great patient experience.

Our next leg was 10 miles from Kinross to a quaint Scottish village called Strathmiglo. This was probably our best leg. It was nice and flat and we managed to make a lot of head way. However, we entered the village from another direction from my dad, and it took us a bit of time to find him. The true Scottish neighbourhood spirit shown through when a couple with their dog came out of their house to direct us to where my dad was. When we found him, we restocked our fuel and started off on our next and longest leg to another small town called Ceres.

some beautiful scenery

This was the toughest leg. Not only was it 15 miles long but there was a SERIES of SERIOUS hills to the beautiful town of CERES. It really was never ending, as soon as we thought we couldn't go up any further, we turned a corner and there was another hill. It was difficult to believe. At one point we even had to push our bikes up as gear 1 got us nowhere. The age old theory  that what goes up must go down did not apply at this stage as it was a constant incline all the way to Ceres. Our main consolation was the beauty of the scenery surrounding us. Whilst cycling up these hills, I thought about the hardship that many Ugandan's face on a daily basis and it gave me the strength to keep going.   

Scottish Museum

Leaving Ceres

Finally we reached the small town of Ceres. My dad had been calling me and sending me messages for the past half hour and had even thought that he had missed us. Whilst he was waiting for us he visited a Scottish museum where he took some beautiful pictures. We were all very happy to arrive in Ceres and meet dad, where we refuelled ourselves and prepared for the last leg of the journey. After a nice break, with our energy and enthusiasm restored we headed back to ST ANDREWS.

Arriving into St Andrews

This was my favourite leg, although there were several hills, they were nothing in comparison to the series of serious hills to Ceres so we conquered them all with considerable ease. My dad followed us behind and we felt as though we had our own special escort. With our spirits high we raced back to St Andrews averaging about 15 miles an hour. When we reached the St Andrews sign, we waived our hands in the air in solute of or achievements.


My competitive edge got the better of me and I sprinted down the hill to reach David Russell Apartment, our end destination before Tom and Phil.

The 3 of us at our end destination

The Bike Ride was definitely a challenging experience, there were many difficult and low points, but we all enjoyed it so much. Especially because we were doing it for a great cause. We arrived back in St Andrews about 10 hours after we left in the morning, exhausted, exhilarated and also excited. We had achieved something that not many people can say they have ever done and we are all very proud of our selves.

I would like to take this opportunity to say thank you SO much to Tom and Phil for taking part in the bike ride and the people who have sponsored them. As well as to my dad who was there for us the whole journey. I would also like to say thank you to everybody who wished us luck and to those that sponsored us all. Once all the money is in and counted, I will add it to the total.

Dad and myself

Fundraising Total has been Reached

I had an interview yesterday with the Lethendy Trust and they very generously agreed to give me £300 towards my project, this brings my total up to £1940. With the sponsorship money from the bike ride already totally more than £60..............I HAVE REACHED MY £2000 TOTAL :-D!

I am so happy. Any additional money I raise will be given to UCRF, Wrap up Africa and UCCF.

In addition, I booked my flights last week, and I will be travelling in less than 2 months.
However, for now, with my exams looming ever closer, I must study as hard as I can.

Many thanks go to everybody who has contributed towards my fundraising total and to those who are following my blog.

Fundraising Update

Over the past few weeks, my fundraising total has almost doubled. This is thanks to the extremely generous support of several people.

1. St Andrews University for awarding me the Ede and Ravenscroft Travel Scholarship worth £500
2. Dr John Calder trust for very generously donating me £300
3. Mr C Williamson from the Williamson Memorial Trust who gave a wonderful donation of  £200

This is an extremely large amount to be donated and I appreciate this so much.

Wrap Up Africa

Final Piece from Amanda Bontecou on Vimeo.

 Wrap up Africa is another charity in Uganda which helps cancer patients and their family. I volunteered with them when I was in Uganda in 2007. It is a great charity and they do some amazing work. Please watch this short video which tells you abouts some of the problems that patients have in Uganda and also how you can help. If you would like to visit their website click on the following hyperlink: www.wrapupafrica.com

Fundraising Update

I got 2 exciting letters in the post today.
One from the Southdown Trust saying that they would like to donate £50 to my project and another one from the Lethendy Charitable Trust saying that they would like to invite me for an Interview.

This is great news and brings me even closer to my target. I would like to take this 1st opportunity to say thank you to the Southdown Trust for their great generosity and to the Lethendy Charitable trust for showing interest in my project and inviting me for an Interview to tell them more about what I will be doing.

A Sad Story

On the UCRF home page, I read this very sad story. Through the Outreach part of the UCRF programme which I will be participating on, I hope to reduce such sad and avoidable deaths.

The gentleman who's legs are pictured died without Doctors telling him that he had Cancer!

This man had suffered from swollen feet and a feeling of weakness for a long time. Despite numerous visits to the doctor, he was just told that he had little blood. When infact he had been suffering from a kidney obstruction, something that  nobody had informed him. He had to go for short calls frequently, and doctors  had been treating him for bladder infections for many years. A  few days from his death bed, a doctor advised him that he needed a blood transfusion, hemodialysis, and a biopsy on his prostate (empulunguuse).  Despite the fact that he was in great pain, he was still not referred to a hospice.

A few hours to this man's death, his sister, who had lost her husband to cancer many years before arrived at the hospital to see him. Being the same hospital where her husband died from (Mulago) and noting the frenzy of activities by relatives to find money for hemodialysis, she called a junior doctor to the side and asked three questions:

1) Would the treatment recommended cause her brother to walk out of the hospital ALIVE?

• the good junior doctor answered NO.

2) Were the doctors doing anything they thought would make the patient live?

•  the good junior doctor answered NO....
  

3) Were they doing anything at the hospital that could not be done at home?

•  the good junior doctor answered NO.
  

Recalling her own experience at the hospital mortuary when they waited for her husband's body to be released to them, the 80 year old old womon confered with the man's family and friends that he should be taken to die at home, especially because there was no provision for palliative care for him in Kampala.

Whilst this was happening, the man slipped into comma, which the junior doctor explained was because his kidneys had failed. The man never acknowledged the touch from his sister as she told him:

"we are taking you home where you will join our father and our other brother".

They travelled over 120 miles back to the village where very sadly he died just minutes after the end of  the long journey. At least he was at his house surrounded by relatives and friends. They were all able to say goodbye but no one could tell whether he had heard them.

This old man had just made 60 years! Within a week, his mother who had defied death thus far-gave up her ghost! Clearly, it was too much for her

More than 20,000 people attended his funeral, all were sad about his death.

• Nobody was told about cancer.
• None of them were told that it was a preventable cause of death.
• None of them were told to do something about their own risk.

Some of the people may even be enduring the sad experience of this man. This is why the story was shared with UCRF, and now with you. From the depths of this sadness, may be a lesson which can be made so that others can be saved of a painful death without knowledge of why, or even the opportunity to put their lives in order.

  

This man saw many people about his problem. Some were proper doctors, others were not. Somehow, he died without knowing why he was dying. He had symptoms that shouted his diagnosis, and yet it he was not told. ....

maybe there other stories like this..., but this was one tough to take and remains tough for his family and friends to take.