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.
Heartbreaking. Mug Ordered.
A pleasure to meet you at Mayhem this year, and share a few words. Hope the riding is as good on the other side as it is here.
Shitty news, best wishes to Jenn and family. Mug ordered – a bit self-serving as another family member is also a recipient of Macmillan’s services 🙁
Hmmm I’ve rewritten this about five times and all I can think is that Jenn’s been dealt a shit hand. Enjoy your time with your family and friends.
Knocked me for six reading this, always loved your articles and writing Jenn. Such shit news and so hard to find anything remotely meaningful to say in these times. Sounds like your sticking two fingers up at it though, good on you!
Love and best wishes xxx
Deeply saddened. Loved reading Jenn’s contributions over the years, feel like I know her 🙁
Really sad news. Thoughts and best wishes to Jenn and family. I’ll be ordering a mug too.
So sorry to hear this xx
So unfair. Have met so many great people through mountain biking and Jenn, you are one of the best and nicest. Love and hugs!
Such shit news. I remember reading Jenn’s tour divide article in wmb and single-track, and being so refreshed by her writing and outlook. I always enjoy her writing. She’s evidently a superb rider and a soulful person.
Amazing Jenn, she did a lot of work when we helped out with the Llandeglaish ride we worked on with you in the spring I’m even more sorry she was unable to come with us… Anyway buy buy buy buy where do I sign up for buying all this 100 loot……
Always really enjoy Jenn’s articles. Terribly sad news, best wishes to Jenn and family.
Very sad news about Jenns illness but tinged with positivity as you have made obvious to the rest of us who could don’t know, what an amazing and tremendous person you have had at Singletrack Towers.
My wishes and hopes go with you Jenn.
Awful news. I can’t think of anything else to write. 🙁
Thanks Jenn for all the great copy over the years.
If stw could set up a just giving pot somewhere it would be great to throw something in it.
Well done for playing the hand dealt you with such joie de vivre Jenn. Enjoy your remaining time with friends and family.
You know that bike in the Goodies? Where can we borrow one?
Only met Jenn once but once is enough to get how genuine she is. Very sad to hear this.
Wow. Such a loss to Singletrack and to the MTB community. I enjoyed Jenn’s writing and her attitude. I hope her remaining months are as enjoyable as they can be with her loved ones.
Hi Jenn,
We’ve never met but I want to thank you for all the happiness that you’ve brought me through your adventures. I’ve had many a happy hour reading your articles, in my favourite chair with a mug of tea.
May your adventures continue.
Love, Jim
A great writer, a great rider and genuinely great person, Jenn, you will be sorely missed but never forgotten…
Smiles for miles all the way to the end…!!! Xx
Jenn, never met you but really enjoyed your work. Shit situation. Hope your Autumn days are enjoyable and you get some last trails in.
Big hugs, Paul
Nothing more to be said, but really saddened to read this. Mug and Print ordered, and they will always serve to remind me of an amazing woman.
Such sad news…….
Hi Jenn,never had the honour of meeting you in person, but as the assembled rabble have already stated,nice work Girlie. All our love goes to you and your clan. Try to imagine the BIG days out in the hills you will have with Stevie W and J Mc.
Enjoy the trails my dear, Mac..xxxxx