I'd wanted to do a fundraising month- I'd thought about dry January but as I rarely drink alcohol it wouldn't have been much of a challenge. Those of you who know me well will know that chocolate, cakes and biscuits are my nemesis. So I have decided to do sugar free February- and boy will it be a challenge! I've recently realised how much stuff has sugar in!

The reason I am doing this is to raise money for research in to Colon Cancer. In September Mum was diagnosed with stage 4 Colon Cancer which had spread to her liver and lungs. No symptoms of note and despite her liver being 'riddled' with secondary tumours, even her liver function was 'normal'. Chemotherapy has been effective in reducing tumours but this is only successful in 50% of people, it will never 'cure' her and at some stage the chemo that she will have to receive fortnightly for the rest of her life will stop working.

My hope is that by raising money to fund research they'll discover new drugs/procedures (hopefully that they don't charge the earth for so that the NHS can fund; but that's a separate issue) that are more effective for more people. We also need to reduce the age of routine screening (Mum was only 58 when discovered). Sometimes the symptoms are so minute that you explain it away ('I've been a bit stressed'; 'I've not been eating as healthy as I normally do'; 'I'm not eating as much fruit and veg as I should' and so on)

For late stage diagnosis in colon cancer, the odds aren't great. More research is urgently needed.

This February I’m ditching the sweet stuff and giving up sugar for a whole month to raise money for Cancer Research UK and helping to beat cancer sooner. Help me conquer my cravings by sponsoring me. Donating through this page is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with Cancer Research UK