Steve Price, along with over 1,000 other fundraisers is taking on the epic challenge of Velo Birmingham & Midlands this May in order to raise money for the hospital charity.

After previously completing one Velo 100 mile bike ride, Steve has daringly set himself the target of riding the whole thing again, this time in one go, barring any mechanical failures. Carrying all required food and fluids either on himself or on the bike.

Steve's inspiration as to why he decided to fundraise for the hospital charity is an extremely compelling one, and in his own words, Steve said: "The least I feel I can do in 2019 is go on a little bike ride and ask you lovely people to send me on my way with a few quid."

Steve continued to explain his story: "My first memory of either of my parents being anything less than indestructible was when Mum was taken into Good Hope Hospital for kidney stone removal. I was young – 6 or 7 as I remember – and this was before the days of ultrasound treatment. Mum came home with a gnarly looking scar on her stomach and a jar containing the offending articles.

“A few years later, Mum was back at Good Hope for a hysterectomy. A pretty routine operation, she was in and out in less than a week. When Mum was in her late sixties she was diagnosed with heart disease and needed a quintuple heart bypass. Royal Stoke University Hospital did the necessary plumbing work but Mum was then a regular out-patient back at Good Hope for anti-coagulation therapy to prevent any pesky clots.

“Dad was generally pretty bullet-proof throughout his life but toward the end, he developed bowel cancer. He spent a lot of time in and out of Heartlands Hospital and Good Hope Hospital. There wasn’t much that could be done for him as he was elderly and quite frail. Any operation would have been too invasive for him to cope with. The teams at both locations did everything they could for him despite the condition being extremely traumatic at times."

Steve then followed: "So please dig deep if you feel compelled. The hospitals have had such a significant impact on my tiny, little world and they do so much more for so many people from all over the world in so many amazing and ground-breaking ways. True carers and trailblazers, one and all."

Justine Davy, Head of Fundraising for the hospital charity, said: "Thank you, Steven, for sharing your story. The hospital charity is extremely grateful that you have decided to fundraise to help support the thousands of patients that are treated each and every day across the hospitals. Your parents would have been immensely proud, good luck and we will see you at the finish line!"

If you have been inspired by Steve's story and want to help support him to his fundraising target, please visit his JustGiving page here: http://bit.ly/StevesNonStopVelo2019

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