May 31st, 2001

Dear MAKEVEK climbers,

I am absolutely overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and commitment that you have all shown in rising to Mark’s challenge. I would love to join you, but although that’s not possible I shall be with you in spirit.

Mark’s desire to support research into Ewing’s sarcoma is driven not just by his own family experience but also by the knowledge that this is a potentially fatal disease affecting young people. It may be rare but it can happen to anyone. As someone who treats young people with cancer I know all about the “highs” and “lows” these people go through - the despair of the diagnosis, having to face up to a life-threatening situation, the debilitating effects of treatment, the agony of waiting for every scan or X-ray result. It’s tough to go through, even when the treatment has been successful and sadly it’s not, every time.

I am hugely encouraged by new developments in the treatment of certain other cancers, using drugs directed against very specific targets. You may have heard some of the news from the recent American cancer meetings, articles in Newsweek and so on. I truly believe that this experience can be extended to diseases like Ewing’s if we put in the work and look properly. I certainly hope that things will be very different in the future and that we will not only have more successful treatments available but we won’t have to make patients so very ill in the process of curing them.

Best wishes to you all for a successful trip.

Yours sincerely,

Ian Judson MD FRCP
Consultant Medical Oncologist
Sarcoma Unit
Royal Marsden Hospital