Mayor kicks off hearty
charity cycle ride
Mayor of Newham Sir Robin Wales
today kicked off a fundraising cycle ride that will see two
intrepid riders visit every football ground in the Premier
League.
The Mayor was at West Ham United's Boleyn Ground to
launch the club's executive head chef Keith Ross and cardiologist
Dr Andrew Deaner on their 1,000 miles 11-day journey.
Keith suffered a heart attack last July and Dr Deaner performed an
emergency procedure at the London Chest Hospital in Bethnal Green
that saved his life.
Keith, 37, a father of two, said: "The team at the London Chest
Hospital saved my life. I wanted to give something back in thanks
for my treatment and a friend challenged me to cycle to every
Premiership ground.
"I've been training for three months and have been overwhelmed by
the support I've received from West Ham, the London Chest Hospital
and all the clubs we're going to visit. I know Newham's Mayor Sir
Robin Wales is a Hammers' season ticket holder so I asked if he
would set us on our way."
Keith's emergency operation involved Dr Deaner and his team
inserting a thin tube called a catheter into Keith's leg and
feeding it up through a main artery until it reached the blockage
to his heart. A tiny balloon was then inflated to clear the
blockage and a small metal scaffold, called a stent, inserted into
the artery to stop it from narrowing and becoming blocked
again.
Sir Robin said: "I am delighted to have been asked to launch this
ride. It is great that Keith is able to do this with the doctor
that saved his life. I wish them both the best of luck."
At each ground Keith and Andrew will collect football memorabilia
and merchandise to be auctioned off at a celebration ball on March
30. All the money raised will fund a study at the London Chest
Hospital into stem cell treatment for heart disease.
For further information about how to sponsor Keith and Andrew
visit the website www.justgiving.com/CYCLE2012.