FARNHAM dad Ben Page pushed himself to the limit in September by cycling 350 miles from London to Paris to raise over £1,800 for blood cancer charity Bloodwise.

Ben, 40, was told that his son Sam, 19, had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) in June 2014. He had been complaining of back pain for a month but thought he had just pulled a muscle. After visiting the doctors and undergoing a blood test, he was referred to hospital and given the news that he had blood cancer.

Sadly, just days before Ben set off on his journey from London to Paris, the family received the news that Sam had relapsed.

Ben said: “I knew little about leukaemia but enough to know how serious and life-threatening it is. Sam’s world, and our world, just stopped. The chemotherapy has been gruelling for him and he’s been in and out of hospital with pneumonia and other complications. Devastatingly, he was readmitted to Southampton Hospital on September 11 following a bone marrow biopsy which showed that the leukaemia had returned.”

London to Paris presented the perfect opportunity for Ben to raise money for a cause close to his heart, and the chance to ride his first multi-day event.

“The organisation was second to none and allowed us to experience a first-class cycling event. The whole group leaving Greenwich as one, all wearing Bloodwise jerseys and moving through London’s morning traffic, was a thing of beauty.

“Listening to other riders’ stories really brought home the reason we were on this ride and arriving into Paris was such an emotional rollercoaster. Smiles of delight in what we’d achieved coupled with tears of reflection made it such an amazing day and one that will stay with me forever. I met some terrific people, all riding for the same cause, and I am proud to call them my friends”, he added.

The bike ride, London | Paris: Be Unstoppable started in historic Greenwich Park on September 17 and took 250 cyclists to Paris over four days. The endurance ride gave participants all the excitement of being part of a peloton, with motorcycle outriders and closed roads, as well as an entourage of mechanics, physiotherapists and support vehicles.

As a result of his son’s blood cancer experience, Ben is backing the UK’s biggest ever blood cancer awareness campaign, launched by Bloodwise to coincide with Blood Cancer Awareness Month.

Bloodwise has launched its billboard campaign in response to a crisis in awareness of the group of diseases, which includes leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma. Nearly 3,000 billboards will be going up across the UK.

Research undertaken by the charity revealed that for patients, this lack of awareness adds significantly to the stress, uncertainty and worry that comes with a cancer diagnosis. Low awareness also means many patients, friends and families don’t know about the organisations and support services that exist to help them.

Diana Jupp, director of patient experience, at Bloodwise, said: “38,000 people are diagnosed with a blood cancer each year in the UK, yet very few people are familiar with the term ‘blood cancer’. Patients have told us that a lack of awareness has a significant impact throughout their patient journey – from confusion and uncertainty at diagnosis to being unaware of the organisations that provide the support and care they need.

“This lack of awareness cannot be tackled overnight, and this campaign is the first step to addressing the problem.”

Bloodwise is the new name of the UK blood cancer charity Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research, which was founded in 1960. The new name was chosen to reflect the charity’s work for patients with all blood cancers, and unites everything being done to beat them, from world leading research and thought leadership to patient support services.

To support Ben visit www.bloodwise.org.uk/benpage.