The Havas Lynx Games is a fierce competition running throughout September that gives us the opportunity to reconnect with each other, whilst simultaneously raising much-needed funds for our friends at The Christie. Each team within Havas Lynx Group is competing to earn as many points (and get as much sponsorship) as possible through cycling, running, walking, swimming, or working out.

The games have been going for two weeks now and we have already smashed our target – to reach Tokyo! It’s good to see that although we might not be together in person, our team spirit hasn’t dwindled – and that competition between the teams is as fierce as ever!

In terms of donations, we are fundraising for The Christie and their new project COSMIC-19. COSMIC-19 is a wearable tech project designed to monitor cancer patients and reduce the contact between patients and HCPs during this time. This new tech can improve our understanding of COVID-19 and has the potential to save countless lives. The Christie is an organisation that is close to many of us here at Havas Lynx Group, but none more so than Amira in team Draper.

Amira and her boyfriend Ed have courageously agreed to share their story to inspire as many people to get involved in the games as possible, but more importantly, inspire as many people to sponsor us as possible.

Here is their story:

“I’m taking part for my boyfriend Ed, who was diagnosed with Leukaemia on New Year’s Eve. He was living in Copenhagen with family while studying for his masters, so after his diagnosis, I was travelling back and forth from Manchester every other weekend to offer as much support as possible during relentless weekly chemo.

We know exactly what it is like to deal with cancer during COVID, which is why the Havas Lynx Games resonated so much with us. When Denmark locked its borders, we were separated for four months, and during this time complications from a lumbar puncture to his spine gave Ed central nervous system damage and he quickly lost the ability to walk.

It was a scary time and we didn’t know if he’d be able to walk in the future, but in a strange way, daily exercise helped us through it. I began creating exercise programs and spent my lunch breaks doing Facetime workouts with Ed. Eventually, he began to gain some function in his legs and before long I was allowed into Denmark.

After two months of preparatory treatment, we moved into the hospital for over a month in isolation while Ed underwent a stem cell transplant. The Draper creatives became very accustomed to interruptions from chatty Danish nurses and helicopters landing mid-meeting!

Thankfully we’re out now and Ed is making small but noticeable improvements – he is even walking short distances on crutches. I try to exercise every day to earn points/donations for The Christie, which in turn motivates him to keep going with his exercise and recovery.”

Please, please help us raise as much money as we can by donating and sharing here.

Thank you to everyone who is taking part and thank you to everyone who has sponsored us.