A cancer survivor who was told he would die within the month just two years ago will be cycling 100 miles for St Barnabas Hospice.
Vitor Pinto first went to the doctors in April 2020, just after COVID-19 lockdown struck, after experiencing extreme pain that stopped him sleeping.
Results came back to reveal that he had stage four Hodgkin Lymphoma, an incurable form of cancer that starts in the body’s white blood cells.
As it is the highest stage of cancer someone can get, Vitor was told by a consultant that without immediate treatment he would die within a month.
He was offered aggressive treatment to tackle the disease, doubling his dose and somehow making it into remission by Christmas 2020.
Vitor said: “The pandemic was a hard year for everyone, but to be told I had this cancer and had to go through this as well was extremely hard.
“The NHS staff were under so much pressure, but I can’t praise them enough. They were so good from the nurses to the consultants.”
Fresh off the back of his miraculous recovery, Vitor will be taking part in the Castle to Coast to Castle on June 30 – a charity 100-mile bike ride from Lincoln to the coast and back to Lincoln again in just one day.
Vitor will do the C2C2C with 16 co-workers and customers from commercial interior design and fit out company APSS, one of the event’s sponsors.
The APSS crew will join more than 500 riders at the event, raising money for St Barnabas Hospice, EDAN Lincs, Headway Lincolnshire and Just Lincolnshire.
A fundraiser has been set up for Vitor’s efforts, which you can donate to on the JustGiving page here.
“Hodgkin Lymphoma is a form of cancer which is unfortunately not curable. It is something I will have to live with for the rest of my life, like many others,” Vitor said.
“Some, however, are not as fortunate as myself, and for those people, and their families, the work St Barnabas Hospice do is crucial. That’s just one of the reasons I will be raising money for the charity by completing the 100-mile bike ride.”
St Barnabas still have designated spaces for supporters to get on the bike and join in, simply by visiting the C2C2C website.
Caroline Swindin, Fundraising Development Manager for St Barnabas Hospice said: “Vitor’s story is truly amazing; taking on this challenge after what must have been, an incredibly difficult few years.
“On behalf of everyone at St Barnabas Hospice, I would like to say to huge thank you to Vitor for choosing to undertake the C2C2C challenge in support of our Hospice.
“Your support and the money you raise through your fundraising will make a huge difference to the lives of over 10,500 patients and their families our Hospice support each year across Lincolnshire.”
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Can you help us to identify the man in these images?
We would like to speak to him in relation to an armed incident at 12:40pm on Friday 17 June on Farebrother Street, Grimsby, close to the junction of Garner Street. No one is believed to have been harmed during the incident.
It is believed the man was wearing a green North Face jacket, dark trousers and grey/green Nike trainers with thick white soles.
If you see this man, do not approach him, but contact us immediately.
We appreciate the images are not clear, but if you are able to identify the man, you can contact us on our non-emergency number 101, quoting log 213 of 17 June.
A Lincolnshire man who lent his car to a major heroin dealer so he could source drugs for his then partner was given a suspended jail sentence.
Kevin Hislop, 43, was described as having a “limited role” in a larger conspiracy to supply heroin to the streets of Skegness.
Under cover police officers carried out test purchases of the Class A drug over several months in the Summer of 2017 in a special investigation codenamed “Operation Hazelbrook.”
Hislop admitted driving Paul Steven Wilkinson, 41, who was described as the “head of operation”, on two occasions and lending him his car for nine trips.
Lincoln Crown Court heard a total of 33 trips to ferry drugs were made from Leicester to the seaside town.
Six other people were also jailed for a total of over 21 years for their roles in the conspiracy.
Hislop, of West End, Spilsby, had been due to stand trial in July 2019 but his case was halted and then delayed because of the Covid pandemic.
When his case was re-listed following the pandemic Hislop admitted a charge of drugs conspiracy.
The court heard Hislop had admitted driving Wilkinson to Leicester on one occasion to collect some clothes when he was interviewed by police.
Almas Ben-Aribia, prosecuting, said that was in fact a lie, with Hislop making two trips with Wilkinson.
Miss Ben-Aribia added that the car in which the trips were made was registered in the name of Hislop’s then partner.
Michael Cranmer-Brown, mitigating, said Hislop had only got involved because he was concerned for his then partner.
“It is is quite unusual, but this man’s motivation was not to get drugs for himself, but to source them for his partner,” Mr Cranmer-Brown explained.
“He was concerned that she was rattling.”
Mr Cranmer-Brown said Hislop was now in a new relationship and was a hard working man.
“His employers are aware of these proceedings, he works for an engineering company,” Mr Cranmer-Brown added.
Passing sentence Judge John Pini QC told Hislop he could avoid sending him straight to jail because of his limited role in the conspiracy and his lack of other convictions.
Judge Pini said: “The conspiracy for which I have to sentence you goes back some five years.”
Hislop was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment suspended for two years, and must also complete 180 hours of community punishment.
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