UPDATE Thursday Oct 1st: We’ve now raised over £12,500 for Cancer Research UK & Macmillan Cancer Support
UPDATE Sunday PM: The total raised so far is a little short of £6.5k
UPDATE Wednesday AM: Crowdfunding shares in the original Jo Burt cover painting are now available here. Total raised so far for Cancer Research and Macmillan Cancer Support is approximately £5500
UPDATE Friday 11am: We’ve added sales of Digital Subscriptions and individual issue 100 sales to the donation list. See below for the details.
It’s been a tough 12 months for us all at Singletrack and grit.cx but none of us has had a tougher year than our Deputy Editor Jenn Hill. Jenn has lung cancer, categorised as Stage IV at diagnosis – which is about as bad as it can be. While the rest of us see this as tragic Jenn herself describes it as bad luck. Cancer aside, she’s healthier than the rest of us by a very long way. The fact she has this dreadful disease is baffling to everyone who knows her, but ultimately comes down to just shit luck. It truly is shit.
Jenn has continued to work at Singletrack since her diagnosis last year despite the chemotherapy, drug trials, gamma knife surgery, and more chemo. While living with this awful disease she has written features, reviewed products, been on adventures, sub-edited hundreds of thousands of words of copy, ‘encouraged’ copy from late contributors and staff and essentially got on with it while, as her current email signature states, she ‘kicks the arse out of cancer’.
There is currently no cure for Stage IV cancer and sadly Jenn’s treatment options have now come to an end. She’s leaving Singletrack to spend the last few months of her life with friends and loved ones, supported by St Gemma’s Hospice and the amazing team at St James’s Institute of Oncology, Leeds, to whom she and everyone around her owes a great debt of thanks for their expertise and compassion over the past 18 months.
She is a private person and she will be cringing reading this, but she’s also very open and surprisingly frank about the whole situation. She wouldn’t want anyone to avoid the topic while she’s in their company and it’s been made clear to us all that she’s more than willing to talk about the whole thing. Frankly, she’s amazed us with her determination and courage. It’s a tragedy for sure but a deeply humbling one at the same time.
As part of her treatment Jenn has taken part in a drug trial that had startling, though temporary results. These drug trials are helping cancer sufferers right now and the knowledge they provide to the doctors, nurses and teams of researchers that battle this disease on a daily basis will undoubtedly save lives in the future. That’s why, at Jenn’s request, we have chosen Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support as our two nominated charities. For as long as you order them, for every sale of our signed Jo Burt Issue 100 cover prints, Issue 100 mugs and Special Issue 100 T-shirts, we will donate a set amount from each sale to these two charities. Pre-order in our shop now.
- For our Issue 100 Cover prints, signed by Jo Burt, we will donate £20 from the sale of each one.
- For our Issue 100 mugs we will donate £3.50 from the sale of each one
- We will donate £10 from the sale of all print and digital subscriptions sold up until the 18th of October 2015
- We will donate £5 from the sale of all digital subscriptions sold up to the 18th October 2015
- We will donate £2 from the sale of every copy of issue 100 sold via our online shop until they are sold out.
- All amounts raised will be split equally between the two charities.
Shortly we will be announcing the auction of the original Issue 100 Jo Burt painting that we used for our cover. The proceeds of that auction will be split equally between these two charities.
You can also donate directly to both charities via their websites.
Cancer research UK & Macmillan Cancer Support
Replies (112)
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Love your writing. Love your reviews. You’re an inspiration. Keep on inspiring. Keep smiling. Keep riding. Love and hugs to you and your family
Terrible news for her, her family and friends. Her Tour Divide article was excellent. Which edition was it again?
I have more mugs and T-shirts then I need. Any other way of contributing directly to a STW members type pot to go the charities?
I think it was Jen who recommended Singletrack mag to me about 11 years ago (I’ve been a subscriber for 10 now). It was during a serendipitous after work ride along the South Downs when I caught her wheel and we became impromptu riding buddies sharing the same route home. She showed me the neat little whoop through the trees from the top of Dyke Road Avenue onto Hove Park. I’ve not ridden that in years. It’s a lovely ride. I’ll do it soon. And I’ll think of you, Jen, every time I do. Chapeau.
Shit news.
Enjoy your time as best by can, Jenn.
I really do bloody hate cancer. You absolutely rock Jenn!
So sad to hear this Jenn…
Inspirational in many ways. Hopefully one day, one day we’ll find a cure. Beat wishes.
aw crap really sad to learn about this 🙁 my wife is going through cancer treatment at the moment and the outcome is positive to read this truly shows how we are so lucky as a family. I wish you all the best Jenn x
Words fail me, I am floored by the news, the question “why” keeps looping around my head. I hope your get your time back somewhere down the track x
“Her Tour Divide article was excellent. Which edition was it again?”
Issue 54, Blackhound.
Any news on the classifieds? Have a deore brake I need to sell and thought I’d donate the money.
I am sorry to hear this. Extremely moving and there is no way I would be as strong in this situation. All best x