Nottinghamshire man to cycle 50 miles to help terminally ill puppy

Roxy, a terminally ill boxer dog from South Yorkshire. Mansfield man Jason Hanson is doing a 50 mile charity bike ride to raise funds to help with her juvenile ekidney disease

A big-hearted Mansfield man is set to cycle 50 miles in a bid to help a terminally ill puppy.

Jason Hanson, 35, from Forest Town, will cycle alone from Mansfield to Bakewell on Saturday as part of a fundraiser to help 10-month-old boxer dog, Roxy.

Roxy, who belongs to Jason’s family friends, was diagnosed with juvenile kidney disease in August - an illness which requires 12 hour drip sessions to clear out her system.

And because of the amount of care Roxy has already needed, the pet insurance company stopped paying out for the treatment after just seven weeks.

Jason Hanson, 35, from Forest Town, will cycle alone from Mansfield to Bakewell on Saturday as part of a fundraiser to help 10-month-old boxer dog, Roxy.

So animal-lover Jason, who is a qualified counsellor, decided to try and raise enough cash to give Roxy a ’better quality of life’.

He said: “The whole family are devastated about this and I just want to do what I can to help Roxy.

“I would never want to be in a position where my dog could not have the quality of life it deserved.”

Jason is aiming to raise £700 through his sponsored bike ride, which will pay for about four treatments and some special food.

This will help improve and prolong Roxy’s life, as it expected she will not live past two years old.

Jason added: “I just wish there was an operation to save her life but this is the only thing that can help her.

“Hopefully we can raise some money and get something done for a little puppy that really deserves it.”

Roxy’s owner, Jill Holdsworth, from South Yorkshire, who also has three children, said she is ‘absolutely overwhelmed’ by the support she has had from Jason and his wife.

Jill said: “Roxy’s illness is just absolutely devastating for the whole family - it’s just so sad to think that she might have to leave us so soon and there’s nothing they can do to cure her.

“But what Jason is doing for her is incredible. It’s amazing to know there’s actually people out there like that.

“And I would like to thank people from the bottom of my heart for sponsoring Jason.”

Jason will be leaving Forest Town at 6.30am on Saturday to follow his mapped route to Bakewell, where he expects to be by around 1pm.

For more information, or to sponsor Jason, visit: crowdfunding.justgiving.com/jason-hanson-1