A teenage cancer survivor from Dumfries has sent a message of support to cyclists riding through the region on an epic 600-mile challenge for the charity which helped her on the road to recovery.
Stevie-Jo Kirkpatrick, 17, has been following the progress of a team of nine riders tackling the gruelling Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust’s Largs to Cowes Brighter Futures Cycle Challenge from the west coast of Scotland to the Isle of Wight, with the aim of completing a route between the charity’s bases over eight days.
They completed the first leg of the challenge by cycling to Castle Douglas where they stayed overnight.
After being diagnosed in 2014, Stevie-Jo had leukaemia twice and also meningitis as a result of a rare bacterial infection, with treatment over the following eight years making it extremely difficult to attend school or make friends during her primary years and as a teenager.
Her experiences with the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust have since helped to support her recovery and regain her confidence. Stevie-Jo has just completed her Highers at Wallace Hall Academy. She now hopes to go to college with the aim of then going on to university to become a paediatric cancer nurse and volunteers at Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary alongside her studies.
Looking forward to sailing with the Trust for a third time from Largs next month, Stevie-Jo said: “When I went on my first trip I didn’t expect we’d be doing quite as much as we did with all the sailing.
“We had a chance to helm the yacht and everyone takes a turn doing different things. It was really good making friends and meeting all the other young people on board and sharing our experiences. I felt much more confident coming out of the week because after my treatment I kind of closed up a little bit and shied away from things so it brought me back out of my shell a bit.
“I’m wishing good luck to all the riders who are taking part in the Largs to Cowes cycle challenge because it will help other young people like me to benefit from the work of the Trust.”
Her proud mum Annemarie added: “Going away with the Trust enabled Stevie-Jo to make friends who she still keeps in touch with and it was really beneficial for her to have that social aspect of taking part in the trips after missing so much schooling. It made such a difference. She was quite shy and reserved before she went away on her first trip and they had so much fun, she came back full of confidence, she was like a different person.”
To support the team and read more about how their fundraising efforts will impact young people living through and beyond cancer visit: https://largs-to-cowes.blackbaud-sites.com/.
