University student Kit Alexander is cycling 1800 miles from Dover to Zakynthos, Greece, in order to raise funds for the Isle of Man Hyperbaric Chamber and Help for Heroes, just months after recovering from a life threatening injury. Kit, who is studying at Northumbria University, had to undergo surgery on his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), a part of his knee, after a bad sporting accident. Unfortunately he contracted septic arthritis in the process, a rare and serious condition that threatened his life and which required nine further operations. He was forced to defer his final year of university as a result. The Hyperbaric Chamber played a major part in his recovery. The chamber provides 98% oxygen therapy to a wide range of patients suffering from injures and chronic medical conditions across the whole North West of the UK. Kit attended the chamber twice a day for a number of weeks in order to help him get over a bone graft. Kit commented: “The Chamber was really crucial to my recovery. Unfortunately, while it costs over ?150,000 a year to run and maintain, it only receives a ?90,000 budget from the Government. It is crucial to so many people that we keep it open by filling that shortfall and I aim to help do that with this sponsored cycle. I hope to financially support the people who have helped me through this difficult year and all of the people I met at the Chamber who are still in need of help. I also hope that the physical achievement will be a testament to the hard work of my doctors and the effectiveness of the hyperbaric facility.” Kit sets off on the 6th of May from Dover with the aim of reaching the city of Zakynthos, the site of his first injury, by the 10th of June. The route takes him through France, Italy and Switzerland on the way to Greece. Kit will be accompanied by a friend from university, who is supporting Help for Heroes, a British charity launched on the 1st October 2007 to help provide better facilities for wounded British service personnel. The charity runs its own Rehabilitation complex at Headley Court, a military medical centre in Surrey. Kit is currently looking for sponsors and people willing to donate, and can be contacted on 07872946995. For more information or to make an online donation, visit www.lifecycleblog.org Ends