This year I will be embarking on another mammoth charity bike ride, riding in honour of  Abbie Misfud who sadly died from a brain tumour aged 6 years old. I will be joining a team of fellow riders from the University as we take on the Life Cycle 4 challenge which will be in support of the Children’s Brain Tumour Research Centre in Nottingham (CBTRC). The CBTRC was established in 1997 and brings together a multi-disciplinary team of leading healthcare professionals and researchers who are committed to improving the understanding of childhood brain tumours. The Life Cycle route is more than 1,400 miles and takes in the four corners of Great Britain. The team leave Land’s End on the 14th August 2014 and ride via Dover and Durness to arrive at John O’Groats on 30th August 2014

Each cyclist will be riding in honour of a patient who has battled the disease, and I have chosen to ride in memory of Abbie Misfud from Ashford.  Abbie died from an incurable brain tumour in September 2011 aged just six-years-old. Abbie succumbed to the incurable Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) brain tumour. This is the most fatal form of childhood brain cancer growing in the brainstem. Surgery is impossible and the only standard treatment is six weeks of palliative radiotherapy for symptom respite. The average survival time is just 8-12 months. Abbie passed away only five months after her initial diagnosis.

Amanda Walker, Abbie’s mum said, “We’re just so very humbled and always proud that Abbie’s short beautiful life still reaches out into this world. We cruelly and reluctantly had to give up the most precious thing in our lives when we lost her to DIPG brain cancer. To know that this team ride not only in Abbie’s name, but to push for progress allowing other families to avoid such a tragic loss is really inspiring’ I know she’ll help get Marion to the end!”

I am so proud to be riding in honour of a very special little girl who enriched the lives of all who knew her. The tragic loss of a child is unimaginable and anything I can do to support brain tumour research will be worth every ache and pain on our long journey. I hope I can make Abbie's family proud by honouring and celebrating her life. I hope you feel able to support me by sponsoring me….all donations will be greatly appreciated.

For more information on the Life Cycle 4 challenge – visit the Life Cycle 4 website  - www.nottingham.ac.uk/lifecycle 

Professor Marion Walker, MBE is Professor of Stroke Rehabilitation at the University of Nottingham.  She is an occupational therapist by professional background and has played a leading role in developing a research culture within her own profession.  She is Head of the Division of Rehabilitation and Ageing in the School of Medicine and leads a large vibrant group of researchers and educators. 

Thank you to all who donated towards last year's Life Cycle. You helped to raise over £270,000 towards stroke rehabilitation research.

Follow the team's journey on Twitter @UoNLifeCycle and on the Vice-Chancellor's daily blog: http://blogs.nottingham.ac.uk/lifecycle/