A HOUSEWIFE from Hartford diagnosed with a rare blood disorder is taking on a 300-mile bike challenge to raise money for Leukaemia Research.
Mum-of-three Claire O’Brien started pedalling to Paris from London this morning and she’s already halfway towards reaching her £2,000 fundraising target.
“I persuaded five other foolhardy cyclists to join me on a personal pilgrimage to see the Tour de France arrive in Paris,” said Claire, who lives on The Crescent.
“Normal people go by car and plane but I decided to go by bike. I can already picture the glass of champagne waiting for me at the Arc de Triomphe!”
Claire has been diagnosed with thrombocythaemia, a condition which affects only two or three out of every 100,000 people.
In some cases the disorder is progressive, and it can occasionally evolve into acute myeloid leukemia.
“I often visit the Haematology and Oncology Department at the Countess of Chester Hospital - so it would be wonderful to raise money for Leukaemia Research.
“I’m lucky enough to be so physically active. I want to help the people I sometimes meet in hospital who are not so lucky.”
Claire’s tough training regime has included cycling more than 1,500 miles over the last six months in hail, ice, sleet, ice, flash-floods and thunderstorms.
“And that was just May!” she said.
“All that’s left for me to do now is call upon the generosity of your readers by asking them to visit my web page and, if they can, make a donation to this extremely worthwhile cause.”
To sponsor Claire, visit her website at www.justgiving.com/claireobrien2.
