Brighton cancer survivor prepares for marathon charity cycle ride
A cancer survivor from Brighton will take a month to cycle to his next check-up at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Kemp Town.
It’s nothing to do with roadworks around Brighton.
Tim Lambrechts, 55, is planning a marathon charity bike ride from his rented home in Portugal to raise money for the Sussex Cancer Fund.
The money that he raises will help fund a new oncology patient information centre at the Royal Sussex.
The centre is a joint venture between the Sussex Cancer Fund and Macmillan Cancer Support.
Mr Lambrechts, who has a home in Kemp Town, has cheated death four times and has been described as a walking medical dictionary.
Tim Lambrechts
He survived being born with a hole in the heart and suffered a stroke when he was just 15 months old.
He underwent life-saving emergency surgery for acute diverticulitis four years ago and, while he was being treated, doctors diagnosed cancer of the tongue.
Mr Lambrechts said that he was inspired to undertake the 1,200-mile bike ride while watching the Olympics last year.
He said: “I was filled with admiration for the competitors, especially the Paralympians, when I came up with the idea of doing a sponsored cycle ride from Portugal back to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton to raise some money for their new oncology patient information unit.
“I have had so much from the NHS over my lifetime, I’d like to give something back.”
Mr Lambrechts’s big adventure will be a family affair. His wife, Elaine, will be driving their motor-home – his mobile hotel for the trip – with their puppies Lily and Dunan for company.
The family will set off from their Portuguese home on Sunday 15 September and aim to arrive at the Royal Sussex in time for Tim’s next check-up on Monday 14 October.
Tim had cancer at the base of his tongue diagnosed in 2009.
His wife was with him when the consultant broke the news. He said: “We listened, too stunned to fully understand, while my planned treatment was explained. Outside and alone we clung to each other and cried.”
The treatment at the Royal Sussex was a success and Mr Lambrechts now has to return to the oncology department only for periodic check-ups.
He wants to raise money for the new oncology information centre because he believes that cancer sufferers and their families can often feel in limbo. He recognises the need for somewhere to go for unbiased help and information.
He said: “We wanted to be able to ask if my consultant was a specialist in the type of cancer I had, if my treatment was the latest and best available, whether I would stand a better chance of survival if I went to a different part of the country – all without causing offence or embarrassment.
“I wanted to be taken through the journey by someone who could explain what we were likely to come up against and tell us what help was available.
“Elaine felt helpless and isolated and wanted somewhere she could go, without me, where she could get professional advice and support. I wasn’t the only person affected by this dreadful disease.”
Mr Lambrechts is asking people to sponsor him on his JustGiving page http://www.justgiving.com/Tim-Lambrechts.
He will blog about his journey using his Twitter account @tim_lambrechts.
