Tough Mudder Madness

Danny and I will be taking part in Tough Mudder on 2nd May.  For those of you who don't know what we have committed ourselves to, take a look here:  www.toughmudder.co.uk

Are we Tough enough??  Well, we'd better be, as we are raising money for 2 very worthy causes.  Please take just a couple of minutes to find out what for and why below and then please do give whatever you can to help.  Any amount, large or small, will be gratefully received!

The Brain Tumour Charity
My Dad was diagnosed with a brain tumour when my daughter was just 4 weeks old and he sadly passed away only 9 months later.
* BRAIN TUMOUR RESEARCH RECEIVES JUST 1% OF THE NATIONAL SEPND ON CANCER RESEARCH.  It is woefully under-funded and treatments lag seriously behind other cancers.

*  Brain cancer incidence is rising: 23% higher for men and 25% higher for women in 2012 than in 1970.
*  Brain cancer deaths are rising, unlike most other cancers - these rose 10% for women and 15% for men from 1970 to 2011.
*  Brain tumours kill more children and adults under 40 than any other cancer and less than 20% of those diagnosed survive beyond 5 years compared with 50% average for all cancers.

Megan's Fund
Our local community is raising money to help a local family whose 10 year-old daughter was recently diagnosed with Leukaemia.
The closest hospital available was Birmingham Children's Hospital, a 2-hour drive away.  Due to this distance, she has not been allowed to return home between treatment sessions as she has to remain close to the hospital.
Her parents both normally work but have had to take time off to be at the hospital.  As well as obviously wanting to be with his daughter at this time, her father can't return to work as her mother is in a wheelchair and so needs day-to-day help at the hospital, where the parent facilities are not equipped at all to accomodate this; and he also needs to look after their younger daughter, who is one of my daughter's friends in her class at school.
The girl's father has worked for the same local company for almost 25 years, but they are unable to pay him anything during this time.  We are therefore trying to raise money to help the family pay their mortgage, bills, hospital car parking etc., so that at this awful time they can focus on their family situation and not have to worry about finances.