Not many of us would contemplate cycling 500km, let alone within a 20-hour period but this is exactly what cancer survivor Petros Stylianou will be doing from this Friday.
Speaking to the Cyprus Weekly, 46-year-old Stylianou said he had taken on the challenge for two reasons- to raise money for the cancer charity that supported him through his difficult time and to show other people with cancer that anything is possible and that they should never lose hope.
“This will be a very difficult undertaking and I call on people to embrace it,” he said. Noting that he had gone through a very dark time after his own diagnosis, Stylianou said it was important that cancer patients never lost hope. “I want to show them that hope can overcome anything. I want to give them strength,” he said.
When he talks about dark times, Stylianou is referring to a time in his life when he contemplated ending his life after being diagnosed with cancer.
Between October 14-16, he will be cycling 500km around Cyprus, starting from the Eurolife building in Nicosia. The money raised through the effort—with Eurolife donating €10 for every one of the 500km Stylianou covers– will go to the Arodafnousa Centre for Palliative Care and the Cyprus Anti-Cancer Society.
Stylianou was born in Limassol and grew up in Paphos, spending the past 22 years living in the Paphos district village of Tala. He began experiencing stomach pain and in 2011, after putting it off for a number of years, visited his cousin who was a doctor at Paphos Hospital. She advised him to undergo a biopsy which uncovered cancer at an advanced stage.
Stylianou recalls that he saw the diagnosis as a death sentence and said that this is exactly what he wanted to prevent others from feeling. He also recalls thinking about just giving up after hearing how much potentially life-saving surgery would cost.
Stylianou said he considered not going ahead with any treatment but his family insisted he do everything possible to stay alive. Further surgery and treatment followed and Stylianou is now looking forward to spending many more years with his loved ones.
To contribute to the fundraiser, send an SMS to 7060 texting CAS 5 for €5, CAS 3 for €3 or CAS 1 for €1, visitwww.eurolife.com.cy, or make a contribution at the starting line on Friday or the effort’s checkpoints around Cyprus.
