Nurse’s cyclethon injuries ‘worth it’ to raise £20,000

Sunday 11 November 2018

A breast care nurse, who undertook a 24-hour cyclethon challenge to raise money for charity, says she is only just starting to recover from possible nerve damage from gripping the bicycle handles.

But, despite the gruelling journey’s effects on her body, Kath Hirani says that it was all worth it.

Back in July, the 58-year-old cycled six-mile loops for 24 hours straight between St. Aubin and Le Frégate starting from 08:00, only getting off for short breaks. 

And her charity efforts paid off: in total, she raised £20,000 to be split between Macmillan Jersey Cancer Support, After Breast Cancer, Family Nursing and Home Care and Jersey Hospice Care.

 Pictured: Kath's family was waiting for her at the end of her 24-hour cycle.

While Kath says the challenge was "not too bad," she suffered some short-term effects. "The fingers in my right hand were tingly and numb for a while," she explained. "It's only starting to get better now. It was probably from nerve damage from holding the handle for so long."

But for Kath, the £5,000 she was able to put in the pocket of four charities close to her heart due to her experience as a Breast Care Nurse Specialist - a role in which she comes into contact with islanders suffering the effects of breast cancer everyday - was more important.

"From the moment the patient gets the diagnostic, they receive an amazing support from the charities. It ranges from psychological and emotional support to massages, reflexology, or bras,” Kath explained ahead of the challenge.

“They all rely on donations and without their support all the ladies would be vulnerable. I want to raise as much as I can, hopefully £20,000 to split equally between the four of them." 

She added that each charity has its own way of supporting patients and that they are all important.

After Breast Cancer gives patients post-surgical bras and provides exercise classes, as well as help with getting a cleaner in the patient's house. They also help fund scanners for the breast clinic. 

As for Macmillan, Kath explained that her service regularly refers ladies to the charity for counselling and complementary therapies. FNHC, meanwhile, helps patients who wish to stay at home and cares for them. 

Finally, Kath said she supported the Hospice as they "do an awful lot for people." "What people don't realise sometimes is that it's not just about end of life care," she added. "They provide a lot of support for patients beyond that."

Pictured: Kath finally completing her challenge. 

To celebrate her efforts, Kath did a victory lap, which was attended by applauding representatives from each of her chosen charities.

She recalled of the day: "The victory lap was amazing. Friends and family popped up. Volunteers from each charities were there to cheer me on. Everybody was fabulous.

“I am so thankful to everyone that helped me cover the 240 miles."