brown dog

1. brown dog NEWS HOUND Fund Raising 2011 Team Update Challenge Preparation A reminder of the most important activity of all and an update on what some people are doing this year An update on the 2011 team and caravan details An insight to the Triassic Challenge by people who have done a similar thing and an update on what the Trustees are doing to prepare APRIL 2011 - KEY FEATURES THIS MONTH Photos 2nd Scanner Purchased New Trustee A few photos to wet your appetite for both the challenges An update on funds collected on the 2010 challenge and some Great news about a Second skin cancer Scanner we have purchased Brown Dog is delighted to announced a new and additional member to our Trustee Board Brown Dog is a Registered Charity (1111550) Raising money to help men, women and children who have cancer www.cancerbrowndog.co.uk

2. Welcome to our April Newshound Editors Note • Dear Brown Dog Member, • By the time you all read this there will less than 10 weeks before the big day – the final countdown!!! • Hopefully you are focusing on two essential activities; • Raising as much money as you can to help us achieve our main and biggest challenge – to raise £50,000 • Physically preparing yourself for the challenges – the Triassic challenge will be almost as difficult as running a marathon! • With regards to fund raising, remember there is a document on our website (www.cancerbrowndog.co.uk) that will provide • you with lot’s of ideas on how to raise money – it also has a letter that you can use/modify to email your friends/colleagues. • With regards to preparation, we have asked a few people who did the Jurassic Challenge a few years ago (which was very • similar to the Triassic Challenge) to share their memories with you in this Newshound, which if nothing else will remind you of the • enormity of the task in hand. Also the Trustees share what they are up to in this edition. Also in this addition of Newshound we share some great news about a second skin cancer scanner we are now funding as a result of last years campaign. Plus on the back of last months newshound where we announced we have vacancies on the brown dog Trustee Board, we are now delighted to announce a new member to our team. In May a comprehensive information pack will be produced that will provide you with all the information you need for the big weekend. In the mean time, feel free to contact myself or any of the team if you have any burning questions. Can’t wait for June 3rd – bring it on!!! M Mark Storer – Founder Member (on behalf of brown dog Trustees)

3. A reminder of why we are doing this! brown dog Registered Charity 1111550 Breast Cancer Appeal To raise £50,000 to purchase biopsy specimen imaging system Eliminating delays waiting for verification of core samples., quickly confirming a biopsy procedure without the need to interrupt treatment (mammography) and addressing the needs of the patient faster COREVISION increases the standard of care for your patients by eliminating delays waiting for verification of core samples. With one touch of the button a successful biopsy procedure is confirmed and images can be instantly sent to multiple destinations without the need to interrupt mammography workflow. Helping men, women and children who have cancer www.cancerbrowndog.co.uk

4. Fund Raising – How are you getting on? Raising £50,000 is our biggest challenge As you know fund raising is the most important brown dog activity – we hope you have made a start. There are many ways to raise funds (more detail on web site) that provide an alternative to asking for sponsorship. Experience tells us that people give more when there is something they can get out of it e.g. An event/party etc. Ask Family or friends to make a donation Send email to Family, Friend & Colleagues Organise a Coffee/Cake Day Organise a Themed Party Charge £10 to come Organise a Treasure Hunt £20 per Car Lads v Dads Football £10 to play Organise Numerous School Events Dinner Party Guests Pay Organise a Local Pop/Rock Concert Sell Tickets Utilise Social Networks (Face book) Contact Local Businesses Create your own ideas! brown dog Registered Charity 1111550 Raising money to help men, women and children who have cancer www.cancerbrowndog.co.uk

5. Our 2011 Fund Raising Team Brown Dog are delighted to announce our team of 81challengers and a warm welcome to 37 new members This table also shows the 13 caravan groups e.g. Caravan 1 (1-8), Caravan 13 (69-74) 6 people do not require caravans e.g. 75 to 81 We are still open to accept a few more challengers so this list may change

6. 2011 Campaign – Next Steps You will receive communication updates in January, March and May October November December January February March April May June Launch Campaign Part-Collect Registration Payment Fully-Collect Registration Payment Issue News-hound Issue News-hound Issue Final Information Pack & Briefing Telecom Challenge Obtain sponsorship / Raise Funds & Physically Prepare Click the ‘Fund Raising ideas’ icon on the web site

7. The Triassic Challenge WARNING THE TRIASSIC CHALLENGE WILL NOT BE “A WALK IN THE PARK” FAIL TO PREPARE – PREPARE TO FAIL

8. Preparation for the Triassic Challenge As suggested by brown dog members who took part in the similar “Jurassic Challenge” in 2006 “Presumably people who have registered for this years Triassic Challenge are fully aware of what they have taken on and presumably are intelligent enough to know that the more they prepare, the less they are likely to struggle and find the whole event very hard. So assuming everyone is preparing, my advise would be to make sure you take plenty of water on the day (on the Jurassic walk it was very hot and it could be again this Year). Some water can be put into the ground support vehicles and they will have extra water too. Also take plenty of food, it’s important to energise your body, for me eating a little regularly seemed to work. I would avoid eating or drinking anything that you don’t normally take, for example, some people took energy gels and drinks which worked for them, but equally others complained of feeling sick etc. Motivation is something to think about. For example There will be times (maybe in the night) where you are very tired, both physically and mentally and you need something to motivate you – this could be that special chocolate bar you have saved for this moment, or maybe you get our your i-pod and put on some of your favourite music, or perhaps carry a photograph of a loved one that is inspiring you to do this – you get the picture, that it’s things like this that may help you” “When I registered to do the Jurassic walk (which was a 50 mile coastal walk) I have to honest and say that I had not thought about any degree of difficulty – how wrong I was. Of all the things I have done in my life, this was one of the hardest! It’s one thing walking for over 20 hours, but it’s another doing it through the night and not having any sleep. The night time for me was the hardest as I was physically tired but also mentally drained. Thankfully I walked with some amazing people who did all they could to raise spirits when we hit the wall. In saying all this I must point out that the whole event was fantastic and so enjoyable despite the challenges. The coastal scenery, the summer breeze, the stars at night that seemed so much brighter, the fun the jokes, the brown dog family spirit – marvellous! And of course at the famous Dogs Dinner it all came together, that realisation of what we had a achieved which created such a special, wonderful evening. My advise for Anyone doing the Triassic challenge is to not under-estimate this challenge and prepare as much as you can before hand – maybe get out and walk just 15 miles to see what a third of the distance feels like”

9. So what are our Trustees doing to prepare As suggested by people who have undertaken a similar challenge in the past Come on guys – be honest!!!! 50 mile walk will definitely test your footwear and feet to the limit! Although I haven’t really done much walking yet, I’ve been on a bit of a fitness drive since Xmas, trying to work off the seasonal excesses. My walking boots are well-worn-in from last year, which I think is really important as a 50 mile walk will definitely test your footwear and feet to the limit. Now that the weather is improving (hopefully) I’ll be trying my best to get in some good distance walks, of at least 10 miles each week. Nearer the time, of the challenge I will be completing a 20 mile walk. There’s not much more I think you can do to prepare for the fatigue of a 24 hour walk, but any improvement you can make to your general fitness will surely make the challenge more achievable. Living in Leicester means that we the hill-walking opportunities are limited, so I’ll be travelling out-of town to find some hills. My knees aren’t the greatest (physically, not aesthetically) so I will need to practice a few steep downhill treks. Memories from the Jurassic Walk......Clearly not prepared as much as I should have been! "Oh no, it's only 3am in the morning and my legs are killing me, I'm so tired, everyone else appears to be fine - why, oh why didn’t I do more beforehand and prepare properly.  This is not a walk in the park! I must finish though, despite the blisters and pain in my knees .... what will everyone say if I don't finish this. Everyone else is waiting for me, even the "oldies".    6 months earlier - Yes, I'm fairly fit, a 24 hour walk at a leisurely pace along the coast, all in aid of raising money for those with cancer ... no problem. Sign me up. 3 months earlier - Another reminder to prepare for the walk. I'll be ok, I'm fit.  It's a reminder to those who are overweight, getting on a bit and don't do anything. 1 month earlier - Just 4 weeks to go and I'd better walk to the shops instead of taking the car.... feel ok. I'll even walk up the stairs rather than take the lift. Week before - big week; presentations at work, a few beers with my mates, out for a meal and a drink with my girlfriend on Thursday..... and then off to sunny Devon for the charity walk, hopefully good weather and plenty of fresh air. Even if you think you’re fit, its only when you start walking you begin to realise…. I can remember the last couple of challenges where we’ve done endurance walks – how can I find the time to train for walking 25 or 50 miles??? Impossible!! Although I run 5 miles two or three times a week to let me drink and eat what I want, my experience has shown me that’s not enough to get by, I need to train at real walking! The way I try to deal with the training time factor is starting to do three, two hour walks a week. I do the walks without stopping at as fast a pace as I can go. Because of the intensity of effort over the two hours, it builds stamina and technique very quickly. Nearer the event I’ll try and fit more of these in each week, but it is also important to build in recovery time, so five a week would be tops. With evenings lightening up and warming up you feel brilliant, especially when you’ve stopped!

10. So what are our Trustees doing to prepare As suggested by people who have undertaken a similar challenge in the past As suggested by brown dog Trustees who took part in the similar “Jurassic Challenge” in 2006 After the Jurassic I said I would never do a long haul walk again – I must be mad!I have to honest and say that when I did the Jurassic a few years ago it was like hell on earth! It was a very hot day, I didn’t drink enough, I didn’t eat enough and I have never felt so exhausted in my life. My only memories (other than the beautiful shooting stars over the sea and bumping into a herd of cows in the middle of the night) is hills, hills and more hills – and the pain of it all that reduced me to tears at one stage! Now that I’m older and wiser I am preparing far more than I did last time. At the moment I walk about 3 times a week (about 5 miles each walk) and then a really big walk at the weekend, I also go swimming regularly. I’m going to make sure I do a good 20 mile walk in April to test how I feel. Does anyone know a medic who has some magic pills – I’m going to need something! Everyone thinks that they can walk - after all, we have been doing it since we were 2, but do not underestimate the challenge ahead, as you will be on your feet for a long time!!!I have re joined the gym now and will be doing a variety of aerobic exercise to prepare as well as some weights work on the legs. Core Stability will also be key, so work on your core muscles (IE stomach) to help prepare, but none of this comes close to actually doing some walking training - so I suggest you get out there and start walking! getting used to your boots and carrying your rucksack!I have been out on the hills 4 times this year, completing walks between 7 and 19 miles and will endeavour to do some more before the challenge in June. Preparation is all relative to how old and how fit you are – so that’s a bit of a worry to me as an unfit old fart who had knee surgery only a few months ago! Some of our fit young challengers won’t have to do anywhere near the preparation I need to do, albeit there were many people much younger than me who really struggled on the Jurassic challenge and didn’t even make the Dogs Dinner – so be warned you young guns! To be honest I’m out walking most nights now – in the week I’m walking 5 miles a night at a very brisk pace. At the weekend we do a big walk on Saturday and Sunday morning, which has been around 12 miles long. In April and May I will be continuing with this and planning in 2 or 3 much long walks (over 20 miles). At least by doing this I will increase my chances of finishing and enjoying it!

11. Photos – Triassic Route Some of the views you will experience on stage one of the Triassic Challenge

12. Photos – Triassic Route Some of the views you will experience on stage three of the Triassic Challenge

13. And what about the Portland Challenge? As suggested by people who have undertaken a similar challenge in the past As suggested by brown dog Trustees who took part in the similar “Jurassic Challenge” in 2006 Don’t underestimate the Portland Challenge......... says Trustee Dave Hall The Portland Challenge may sound very easy compared with the 50 mile Coastal Walk, however don’t let this lead you into a false sense of security.  The more training you do, the more enjoyable you’ll find it and take it from me after completing the ‘Small’ Walk’ last year I could hardly walk the next day and ached for several days thereafter!!!   I also lost a toe nail and I know for a fact there were also a number of very impressive blisters amongst the participants. Personally my training has come to a stand still at the moment due to a ‘Dancing’ injury sustained in Tunisia last week (lack of training again!!!) so I may need everyone else to be super fit to help me through? LOL  As a Project Manager, I like my clichés and think this one fits the bill: Poor Planning Promotes Poor Performance!!

14. Photos – Portland Some of the views you will experience on the Portland Challenge

15. Brown dog New Trustee For some time now the brown dog Trustees have wanted to find a team member who could be responsible for the further and future development of our web-site. We are absolutely delighted to announce that Eddie Timmins has kindly agreed to accept this position and with immediate effect is now a Brown Dog Trustee. Eddie has been supporting us over the last few months, as you will have seen, to get the current web-site up-to-date and has enabled us to post Newshounds etc. on the web to save large file distribution via email which is how we previously communicated. Eddie is also working on creating a new/improved web-site which we hope to launch in June – more about this next time when we will have more information to share with you. “A few weeks ago now I was asked by Grace & Mark if I could help to bring the Brown Dog web-site up-to-date which I was delighted to do. Professionally I’m an IT Teacher, so I felt that I had the skills to support Brown Dog and was more than happy to do so. Sometime later, having made a few changes to the web-site that appeared to be well received, Mark explained that brown dog was looking for new members on the Trustee Board. He explained that  the Board had always wanted to have someone on the team who could focus on the web-site and asked if I would be interested – I guess the rest is history now!  I'm absolutely delighted to be accepted onto the Brown Dog team and I have received such a warm welcome. My main task will be to improve our web based communication process – if you have any thoughts on what you would like to see changing on the web-site please drop me an e-mail (eddietimmins@google.com) I'm looking forward to meeting you all on the challenge!” www.cancerbrowndog.co.uk

16. and finally some GREAT NEWS!!! As you probably know last years ‘Skin Cancer Appeal’ set out to raise £30,000 to buy the Molemax III Skin cancer scanner. Such was the success of the Wordsworth & Tiggy Winkle Challenges we actually raised £60,000 As you read in the last Newshound a cheque was presented to the Leicester Skin Cancer Unit and we reported that the Molemax machine had been delivered to the ward and it’s now fully operational – patients are feeling the value of this machine and early detection will mean increased success with treatment. The good news is that because we raised more funds than we planned, we have been able (along with a donation from the East Midlands Cancer trust) to purchase an additional piece of equipment called Mohs . On the next two pages we have included some photos and more information on Mohs – here is a summary of how the equipment will be used. The equipment will allow the creation of a state of the art Mohs Micrographic Laboratory in the Dermatological Surgery Department in Leicester Royal Infirmary. This will be used to treat approximately 120 patients per year with complex non-melanoma skin cancers  Those who will benefit the most are patients with large, locally aggressive skin cancers, occurring on the face, or those that have recurred after the failure of other treatments. The equipment is used for the rapid analysis of skin specimens, allowing the Mohs Surgeon to ensure complete removal of the skin cancer without removing excessive surrounding normal skin. This provides the highest possible cure rate for these types of cancers. It minimises the size of wound requiring reconstruction, resulting in smaller scars following Mohs Micrographic Surgery. AS you can see, this machine will make a real difference to people who have or could have skin cancer. Once brown dog have provided the funds and the machine delivered, there will be a presentation that we will feature in a future Newshound. Once again, clear evidence that the effort and dedication of brown dog members to raise funds is put to good use to buy tangible things that really makes a difference to the lives of so many people.

17. Mohs Treatment To enable Mohs treatment we will be funding all 3 of these; the Staining System, the Cryostat and the Microscope Leica ST4040 Flexible linear staining system .... CM1950 cryostat microscope BX45

18. Mohs What is Mohs micrographic surgery (MMS)? Why is the procedure called Mohs? Mohs micrographic surgery is a minor surgical procedure and special method of removing skin cancers using local anaesthesia (numbing). The majority of cases are performed in the physician's office. Mohs is a very precise, highly detailed technique whereby small layers of skin are sequentially removed and immediately examined under the microscope until the samples indicate that the skin cancer is completely removed. The procedure uses frozen sections of skin that are then stained with special dyes. The dyed frozen pieces of skin are further examined under the microscope and a tumour map is drawn by the Mohs surgeon. The freezing process allows an immediate examination of the entire tumour margin and tissue histology (microscopic examination of cells). If more cancer cells or "roots" are seen under the microscope, then another skin layer is removed and again examined. Each skin layer that is removed is called a "level." If no more cancer roots are seen, then it is called "clear" (no more tumour) and no additional levels are needed. By removing only tissue where cancer is known to be present, the technique combines a very high cure rate with good preservation of normal skin. Once the cancer has been fully removed, the Mohs surgeon looks at the wound to determine the method to obtain the best wound repair and cosmetic result for you. Mohs is special because the entire edge and under surface of each skin cancer layer is carefully examined under the microscope for the presence of very small cancer cells. With regular or traditional surgery, only about 1%-3% of the tumour margins are actually examined, thereby increasing the chances that a small tumour root would be missed and left behind. Mohs allows for examination of 100% of the tumour margins thereby reducing the chance that tumour cells will be left behind. Mohs is usually scheduled only on certain days in the doctor's office because of the required equipment, tissue stains (dye), Mohs technologists, and microscopes. Most of these procedures are generally performed with the patient waiting in the office for the tissue to be "read" or interpreted by the Mohs surgeon. Mohs is named after its inventor, Dr. Frederic Mohs, who first described the technique in 1941.

19. Thank you for supporting us

20. Brown Dog Trustee Board Chairman Finance Secretary Founder Web Site Richard Parkes Ian Alexander Laurence Crack Mark Storer Eddie Timmins 07740605362 07801910829 07736359325 0791 807 0710 07843572282 Operations Operations Operations Co-Founder Marketing Richard Little Grace Storer David Hall Anil Patel Vacant 07827881077 07534914359 07717866965 07801471723 If you have experience or interest in this role please contact one of us