Heroine Letitia Valentine
“I would also like to thank everyone who sponsored and supported me, particularly Tom at Synertek Colostrum.” Letitia Valentine
Letitia is a heroine in every sense of the word. Letitia rode her bicycle from one end of England to the other, a distance of 870 miles, in nine days, for charity. If that is not challenge enough consider that Letitia has lupus. And if that is not challenge enough consider that Letitia also has diabetes. And…well…if all that is not challenge enough consider that Letitia slept on the ground at night and had two serious wrecks and a concussion enroute, but determined to raise funds for the charity Lupus UK, Letitia pressed on to the end.
UK Press Release
Letitia Valentine, 26, of Swansea, Wales, completed her Lands End to John O’Groats ride (870 miles in nine days) on Saturday 12th September. The ride started disastrously, with a big crash after only 60 miles. “I was coming downhill and there was a branch overhanging the road which I couldn’t avoid because there was a lorry (truck) blocking me in. I hit the branch as it seemed a better option than the lorry, and went flying out and hit the deck at about 30mph. I hit my head and my elbow pretty hard and it shook me up.”
She was lucky not to have been more seriously injured. “My helmet was smashed to pieces but saved my life.” A trip to the hospital revealed a fractured arm and whiplash, along with road rash and bruises. Despite her injuries she decided to carry on with the attempt the following afternoon. “I collected my bike from the repair shop and tested it out, I felt ok to ride so I carried on as I didn’t want to let an accident stop me from completing my goal” she said. The disasters didn’t end there however, and after five days of cycling she had another accident, this time slipping on a curb in the wet and landing on her cheekbone. “I couldn’t believe it had happened – I have had no accidents this year and then two in the same week! I was badly concussed and blacked out when I hit my head. When I came to, I could only see out of one eye so it meant another trip to the hospital.” Luckily the loss of vision was only temporary and there was no permanent damage.
“People ask me why I carried on but I kept thinking about all the people who had sponsored me and how I would feel if I had given up, and that’s what kept me going, despite the pain in my arm.”
Despite the setbacks she completed the 1450km journey in nine days. Letitia is raising money for the charity Lupus UK and has the condition herself as well as diabetes, which made the attempt even harder as she has to do four injections every day. “My Lupus specialist was amazed that I was even attempting this and astonished at how much exercise I am able to do. Lupus is a disease of the immune system and can be extremely debilitating. I treat my Lupus by taking colostrum and find that it really helps me. If I forget to take it my joints swell up and I’m sure it helps with recovery. It has changed my life.”
She said that she wanted to show other people with life threatening diseases that they can still achieve their goals. “I would also like to thank everyone who sponsored and supported me, particularly Tom at Synertek Colostrum.”
Anyone wishing to support the charity LUPUS UK and help Letitia reach her target should visit: http://www.justgiving.com/tishmegaride/
Your support would be very much appreciated.
Visit the Synertek website at www.synertekcolostrum.com to see research or order colostrum online.