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Dee Tanner

Challenge 80 September 2025

Help me reach my goal of £3000

My Activity Tracking

96
mi

My target 80 mi

I've now completed the Challenge 80 for Young Lives vs Cancer

Our youngest daughter Emily (age 17) was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma Stage 3 in June this year. What went from a doctors appointment for what we thought would be a sport induced asthma referral suddenly escalated at speed with numerous tests and hospital appointments, to Emily starting her first round of chemo on 7th July.  Emily will require 6 rounds of chemo, possibly followed by radiotherapy.

Those first few weeks were a whirlwind with so much to process - all the what ifs, what next, what about, why did we not pick it up sooner in the earlier stages -  our feet didn't touch the ground as we went into the unknown.

For those of you who haven't experienced knowing someone with a cancer diagnosis, it isn't just about having chemo treatment by IV and tablets, and losing your hair.  Its also the draining effect the chemo and travelling has on your body, the side effects it gives you, the tablets you need to take to manage those side effects, plus further drugs you need to manage the side effects of those side effects.  Not to mention what you are going through mentally, nor the unexpected hospital admissions when your body should be having its rest and recovery periods.

So now its my turn to give something back to Young Lives vs Cancer who have supported Emily and us as a family from the start.

During September I will be taking on their Challenge 80 with a combination of walking, running, and dare I say cycling!!

I say cycling as some of you know I definitely don't ride so coming out my comfort zone here.  But hoping with Emily as my mentor I can get a few laps of Cyclopark in once at week even if it takes me a few hours to do a few miles.

I confess mentally I am nowhere near a strong a person as Emily, but with what I now know, as well as how determined a person she is and taking every challenge given to her face on, if Emily was able to cycle Catford Hill Climb, altitude train in Tenerife, train & compete for Junior Nationals and Belgium whilst having cancer,  then I can complete Challenge 80 for her and others alike to help ease the biggest challenge of their life.

I've now completed my challenge so please do not donate as the charity will close down payments on 15th October 2025


More information about Young Lives vs Cancer and this challenge is below.



This Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, I'm taking on Challenge 80 for Young Lives vs Cancer. 

I will be completing 80 miles in September to support children and young people with cancer. 

80 miles is the average journey that a family facing cancer has to travel from home to a specialist treatment centre. And now, with the rise in cost of living, families are struggling more than ever before to find the money to make the journey. Then there’s the parking payments, overnight stays and finding food, all while income is reduced. Because working full time and looking after your child with cancer is almost impossible.   

Young Lives vs Cancer help families find the strength to face whatever cancer throws at them. Make a donation and show your support today. 

  • £12 could re-stock the kitchen cupboards at a Home from Home so a family can enjoy a home-cooked meal together with their loved ones.
  • £26 could pay for an hour with a Young Lives vs Cancer Specialist Social Worker. They help families understand and cope with the emotional, practical and financial effects of cancer. 
  • £70 could pay for a night in a Young Lives vs Cancer Homes from Home, a free place for families to stay close to specialist hospitals when their child is going through treatment, keeping families together

Join me in supporting a good cause, your contribution will make a big impact, whether you donate £5 or £500. Every little bit helps. Thank you for your support.

Please Help Me
Reach My Goal

Raised

£3,371 + £545.93 GiftAid

My Goal

£3,000

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My Achievements

Self Donated

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First Donation Received

Received 10 donations

Reached 50% of fundraising target

Reached Fundraising Target

Reached 50% of distance

Reached Distance Goal

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My Updates

End of Week Four and Challenge 80 - Thank you all

Sunday 5th Oct
Hi all - rather later than planned my last update following completion of my Challenge 80 and an update on Em.

Starting with the great news that after 3 weeks in hospital Emily came home on Friday night.
She is now half way through round 4 (of 6) chemotherapy, but the treatment has had to be changed for the time being to reduce the stress on her heart.  Not sure now how this will impact the last two cycles but does mean close monitoring and echo scans before each round.
Her recovery following the Pulmonary Embolism (blood clot to non medics) is going to be a long and slow process with expectation of getting back to full fitness taking 12-18 months as well as regular check ups and tests during the time. 
Emily made the most of her time in hospital by learning to crochet, which has really helped her mental and emotional wellbeing after it dawned on her how serious her condition was; she has overcome in part her fear of needles by injecting herself with blood thinners - and will need to do so for the next 6 months at least; has made the doctors, nurses and daycare team laugh which has cheered up their day; has embarked on her Beads of Courage journey - taking advantage of her good memory holding information to backdate it from the very start on 3rd June; and over her last week managed getting up and down 10 stairs (with sit down stops) and one minute on the static bike at a gentle pace - old habits die hard and she did try to get out the saddle!!!!!! :)
Now Emily is home they key challenge is to get the nerves in her body back to where they belong. Hoping this will come gradually as she gets mobility and balance back, her heart improve, and the little clots still remaining disperse over time.
As you can appreciate with all whats been going on, my Challenge 80 wasn't as easy as I had hoped. The majority was spent walking but great exercise to walk back up the hill home each time (something I couldn't do running or on the bike).  The running and cycling sessions were few and far between and I am sorry to those of you who offered to cycle and run with me that it never happened. I will reach out to you to get those in my calendar and on Strava.
I will upload some more photos of both mine and Emily's journey during this Challenge month
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY IS TO SAY A MASSIVE THANK YOU TO YOU ALL for your generous donations, your support, encouragement and messages both on here, whatsapp, text and more so the ones face to face that came with a hug - they really helped.  I raised just over £3000 and completed around 93 miles in total 

End of Week Three Challenge Update

Tuesday 23rd Sep
It's been an extremely difficult week for all of us!!  Lots of information to process, lots of questions asked and answered honestly and frankly - thank you NHS so much, lots of numbers and understanding medical numbers and time means something different from the outside world.
Emily is still in hospital after what we assumed would be another infection turned out to be something much more serious.  Having had to be put on oxygen for her breathing and a CT scan she was moved to ICU, where it was diagnosed she had what is called a saddle blood clot in the arch of her lungs that was pressing against her heart.  The expected 1-2-1 care was more like 1-2-20 with so many doctors, nurses, consultants & surgeons from Oncology, Haematology and Cardiology, not to mention the TYA nurses and support team who kept popping down to check in on Emily.  
Thursday night she underwent a successful Thrombectomy where they removed a 10 cm blood clot.  All this is under local anaesthetic and her first words as it was taken out were "I can breathe better now"; she turned her head to find staff taking photos, picking up the clot, and being truly impressed by its massive size - the biggest they had ever seen.  So much so she named it Connie and it will be used in teaching and referencing.  She was pretty pleased with her celebrity status being the youngest patient to have this procedure too.
Her fighting strength and determination continues as you will see in the more recent pictures taken 5 hours beforehand and less than 36 hours later.
As for my Challenge 80, the unexpected circumstances and staying overnight in hospital has unfortunately meant I'm only getting the usual walk short walks whilst travelling.  I'm now at 68.91 miles albeit had hoped to have got a couple more long runs and another cycle in but did manage to get a Park Run in Saturday morning whilst Keith was on hospital duties.  Just nice for a change of scenery.  Keeping fingers crossed for a cycle or run out over next weekend (I should have planned ahead more and done a few laps of UCH in my trainers this weekend, or ran up and down the 16 floors of stairs)

End of Week Two Challenge

Wednesday 17th Sep
hello there.  It was a very busy week last for both of us last week.  Emily went back to school Year 13 for 3 days on a reduced.  She was so excited to see her friends and get back to a bit of normality.  We had great news from the consultant mid week following the latest PET scan; Emily won't need to have radiotherapy after her chemo treatment ends, nor another PET scan but an MRI scan instead.
Unfortunately last Friday she was taken poorly so didn't manage to have her last day of chemo treatment this cycle.  She ended up being admitted to our local hospital with symptoms of cold sepsis and an infection, before being transferred to UCHL TYA on Monday night where they are continuing to treat her for an infection.  What makes it more difficult for the doctors is she is allergic to penicillin so trying to find the right combination of antibiotics to get her fullly recovered is making their job harder.
For my Challenge 80 this week it has meant I've not been able to do as many miles as I had hoped on the bike or running.  However going into the office and the hospital has meant, when I remember, I set my Garmin to walk. I just need to remember to pause my walk when getting on the train and resuming it when I get off the other end. Every little helps including the trek to the hospital canteen and Costa.  
Emily was able to have last Friday's chemo infusion yesterday so now we wait to see if her levels get back up in time to start round 4 next Wednesday or if it gets delayed to the following Monday.  And hopefully she will be well enough to be discharged for the weekend

End of Week One Challenge

Wednesday 10th Sep
I typed but failed to share end of last week.
...and what a challenge it was mentally and emotionally for Emily.  She was so excited to be going back to school Thursday, she had planned her outfit, her new hair style on the wig (trusting the process having washed it the first time last Sunday), new school bag and accessories were ready, and the buzz of day 1 in Year 13 meeting back up with her school friends after having 8 weeks off.  However due to confusion on when her next round of the new chemo should be starting we got a call from the nurse mid-morning Wednesday asking if Em was coming in for Day One of her treatment.  That was it, the tears came big time as she and Keith got ready to make their way up to the hospital for 6 hours of chemo, only for half hour later we were stood down and Day One to start Thursday.  Back up the hospital nice and early ready to be plugged in only to hear staffing issues meant the chemo wasn't ready.  1pm came and went and they were sent home - it takes 5 hours for her chemo to be made up plus 6 hours infusion.  Friday became Day One.  We beat the travel problems on the Lizzy line by using overground and DLR and fast pace walking to get the first lot of chemo going at 10:23 which had an expiry time of 10:40 am.  That meant Saturday Day 2, and Sunday Day 3 in Inpatients for a total of 13 hours infusion.  Monday came and Emily was so exhausted and tired but still determined to get to school - so proud of her determination and strength.  Consultant appointment next week when we get a progress update following the PET Scan she had last Monday, and last treatment day next Friday of the new DECOPDAC chemo - that means 3 down 3 to go.

My week of activity wasn't as enjoyable either but managed to get a few more miles in on the bike albeit not as many as I hoped and my run to the part was so bad I walked more than ran.  Every part mile helps at this stage.  No photos to share but I did find my Athlete Intelligence on Strava quite amusing (see image)

Day 1 complete

Monday 1st Sep
Today I made the special effort of doing the hardest activity - cycling.  Today was also Emily's PET scan when we will find out next Wednesday how much the tumours have shrunk from her first one 2 months ago.  Having checked Google Maps on the distance from home to UCLH by cycling, I matched the distance of 15 miles (10 laps) of Cyclopark on the full circuit.  Many a time I've watched Emily race there over the years and take my hat off to her - I got slower and found coming up out of the dog leg harder each time.  But dug in and proud that I didn't get off and push the bike up the incline.
Really appreciated seeing my sister and niece greet me on the last lap with a well deserved catch up and coffee - thanks Karen and Cerys

Thank you to my Sponsors

£106

Stephen Wcc

£106

Mark

Best of luck Dee, an extremely worthwhile cause connected to someone that we all hold so dear.

£106

Lesley Melrose

£100

Carole Alexander

Donations following coffee/cake morning with friends from Belvedere and Queen Street churches

£84

Eltham Velo

Good luck Dee for Paul and Helen Reed and everybody at Eltham Velo.

£80

Les/eltham&lewisham Cyclists

£75

Eve Wyatt

£72.52

Sue Watson

well done Dee you are inspirational xxx

£70

Wendy Pemberton

Well done Dee xx

£63.80

James Martin

£62.36

Patricia Berry

Good luck Dee. I am sure you will smash it. Best wishes Pat Paul Abby James xxxx

£53.32

Keith Tanner

Good luck be careful on the bike

£53.32

Carole Alexander

To Dee, good luck for the challenge, you can do it.ove from Mum x

£53.32

Steve & Emma

Good luck Dee & best wishes to Emily xx

£53.32

Judy

Good luck Dee

£53.32

Jenny Williams

Sending Love & Strength To You All

£53.32

Kay, Adrian, Ben And India X

Good luck Dee - sending you all lots of love.

£53.32

Malcolm Corbett

Wishing you, Emily and family all the best Dee and the speediest possible recovery over for Emily.

£50

Del Jolly

A great cause. Good luck.

£50

John Wyatt

Good luck. John Wyatt (Cerys & Eves grandad)

£50

Sally-ann York

Beta of luck Dee. Lots of love The York family

£50

Saff

£50

The Wyatts

Keep wobbling on that bike. With Emily behind training you are bound to blitz it. Love The Wyatts

£50

James Cox

Best of Luck Dee, wishing the family all the best❤️

£42.79

Anonymous

£42.79

Jude, Chris And Zoe

Wishing you lots of luck for your challenge 80. Would love to run parkrun with you again if you come to help you achieve your target. Was so lovely to see you all. Wishing Emily and your whole family lots of love. Love Jude, Chris and Zoe xx

£41.83

Mick Mclaughlin

Strength to you, Emily and the family for the challenges you face

£40

Lily Martin

£32.23

Jemma Charlett

Hi Dee, hope all goes as well and as smoothly as possible for Emily. Sending you all lots of love and best wishes xx

£32.23

Paul Smith

Good luck

£32.23

Lisa, Argy And Jake X

Good luck Dee! Sending lots of love x

£32.23

Laura Staffa

Sending love and hugs x

£32.23

Neil Sugden

You are an amazing Family, and we both truly wish Emily the very best in her fight against Cancer which she will conquer. Emily is a true inspiration to us all. Love Donna and Neil Sugden

£32.23

Andy Parrott

Good luck Dee with the challenge

£32.23

Elizabeth And Jonathan Ives

Good Luck Dee, just keep pedalling x

£32.23

Graeme (lec Lola's Dad!)

Good luck, and despite what you say in your story, you ARE strong and you are making a difference, so hats off to you.

£32.23

Liz Robson

Good luck Dee, you can do this and do Emily proud . Will be thinking of you throughout September and I will be sending Emily lots of positive energy 💕💜

£30

Dennis Roberts

£30

Melissa & Andy Steer

Wishing Emily a speedy recovery ❤️‍🩹 and what a brilliant challenge you’ve done xx

£30

Jo-anne Dell

Good luck Dee, Wishing Emily a speedy recovery. Thinking of you all. Jo, Steve Ruby Gracie & Stanley. Xx

£27.05

Christine Catterall

Good luck!

£27.05

Sue Jones

Good luck Dee. Lots if love to you all. x

£27.05

Debbie Buckner

Thinking of you all, good luck Dee, sending positive vibes to Emily Lots of Love Deb Colin Trudie & Maria xxxx

£25

Ian Campbell

£25

The Mahoney’s

Emily, Dee & Keith. Our thoughts are with you all and we are wishing Emily a speedy recovery. Dee, good luck with this awesome challenge. Emily, we’ll look forward to seeing you on a bike again soon ❤️

£23.91

Lisa Fletcher

Well done Dee. You’re raising money for such an amazing cause and to do this alongside everything that’s going on is incredible. You should be very round of yourself. Emily you are such a superstar. Keep fighting! I want to see you at Cyclopark where you belong xx

£23.91

Alex Pearson

£23.91

Jamie Knight

£23.91

Alverna - Sally-ann’s Friend

Praying for your daughter’s complete recovery.

£23.91

Priscilla Webster

So sorry to read this news, I wish Emily a full and speedy recovery. An amazing challenge you are doing, good luck. Thinking of you all, Priscilla xx

£23.91

Jimmy Hayward

£23.91

Anna

Sending huge love and support every step of the way! Xxxxx

£22

Kristof De Beule

You can do this - one pedal stroke at a time

£21.84

Denise Syndercombe

Wishing Emily every success and a speedy recovery, sending love to you all 🩷 xx

£21.84

The Tollidays X

Good luck Dee. Wow Emily we wish you lots of love and hope your treatment goes well and you recover quickly. Lots of love xxx

£21.84

Caroline (sally Ann’s Friend) Horsley

£21.84

Sarah Pullen And Family

Good luck Dee! Youll smash it! ❤️

£21.84

Ali & Martin

Sending our love to you all, Ali & Martin X

£21.84

Julene Knox

Only a few miles to go and it's only just past halfway in September (you must secretly really love cycling!). Keep it up! Big love to you all. x

£21.84

Kellie, Lee, Casey And Connie Mac

You'll smash it Dee. What a fantastic cause to be raising for too. Not only for your own child but helping everyone else's too. Lots of love and strength xxx

£21.84

Denise Tanner

I’ve got this!!

£21.84

Paul Tyrrell

£21

Debbie Risby

Good luck 🙏❤️

£20

Dave Gearing

£20

Beccy State

Sending lots of hugs , strength and love 💛 Love from Beccy (Cerys best friend)

£20

Holly Tanner

Well done mum!

£20

Sharon Hunter

You’ve got this , good luck xx

£20

Jasmine Sweet

I'm so sorry you're all going though this! Well done Dee, for a great cause! Sending you & your family hugs ❤️

£20

Chris Dipple

£16.56

Pauline

Well done Dee for completing the challenge. Praying Emily responds well to treatment

£16.56

Daniel Mason

£16.56

Lusso Equestrian Apparel

£16.56

Karen Bosher

Good luck keep fighting all x

£16.56

Sarah

Really sorry to hear this. You are an inspirational lady raising so much money. Sending lots of love to you and your family. From Miss Mason

£13.46

James Cook

Best wishes from James Cook 4T

£13.46

Anonymous

£13.46

Harry Lambourn

£13.46

Tessa Hales

Emily is an amazing young lady and we wish her well, Dee best of luck with your challenge Love Tessa & Chloe xxx

£13.46

Hiren Kanjee

Good Luck

£13.46

Lesley Smith

You’ve got this xx

£13.46

Ann Walters

Every single person is behind you xx

£13.46

Liz Greenwood

Sending Love you you all x

£13.46

Lee Allen

Good luck Dee and best wishes to you’re daughter

£13.46

Tracy Igglesden

All the luck in the world with your project

£13.46

Ruby Batchelor

£13.46

Joanna Batchelor

£13.46

Sophie Ellul

£13.46

Kim Gaston

Be strong

£13.46

Kerry Lodge

£13.46

Anonymous

£13.46

Alex Wootton

£13.46

Gemma Sharkey

£13.46

Abby Mclaren

I can’t begin to imagine what your family are going through ❤️

£12

Jo Fox

A great cause and good luck Dee keep peddling xx

£12

Kerry York

Good luck Dee. Love Kerry and Sean

£12

The Ralley’s

Good luck Dee you will smash it!

£12

Victoria Constable

Good luck Dee

£12

Laura, Phil And Jack 🧡

Well done on completing your challenge Dee. Best wishes to Emily.

£11.33

Emma Boxall

My heart breaks for poor Emily and your family! We wish her a speedy recovery and the strength for you all to take on the battle, you got this xx

£11.33

Barb Trevena

Wishing you all the luck and best wishes for your daughter x

£11.33

Debbie Edmunds

All the best... you go girl! xx

£11.33

Anonymous

£11.33

Shazza

An amazing amount well done 👏🏻 ❤️❤️‍🩹

£11.09

Jo Langston

An amazing cause keep those positive pants on 💪 love to you all xxx

£10

Dave, Kirsty & Riley Wastall

So sorry to hear what you've been going through. Sending lots of love and positivity to you all. The Wastall Family x

£10

Anne York

Good luck Dee. Love Anne & John

£10

Trisha Rose

You are doing an amazing job. Wishing your daughter a speedy and successful recovery in her cancer journey. What a trooper she is too!

£10

Ned Aka Den X

A tough journey for you all but one you will conquer together ❤️

£10

Katie Clarkstone

Good Luck Dee! You’ll be absolutely fantastic! All the best Emily <3

£8.30

Claire Forster

I’m a friend of Karen’s that just wanted to give a little something.

£8.30

Elena Solinas

£8.30

Claire Macklin-broad

£7

Emily Tanner

Good luck. Remember to keep pushing.

£6.11

Michelle Bull

£6.11

Michelle Bull

£6.11

@henry.hopson