The terminally-ill fiancé of a charity cyclist who had his bike stolen on Tuesday only two weeks before taking part in an event to raise money for her has spoken of their devastation.
Susan Wynne was diagnosed only five months ago with breast cancer and was touched when her partner Cassian decided to compete in a 100-mile bike ride on September 1 for The Christie.
The brave woman credits the hard work of the Christie for helping to ‘keep her alive’ but was horrified when she discovered their black Focus Cayo bike stolen from their home on Swinfield Avenue, Chorlton.
Susan told MM: “Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that such a horrible thing would happen only a few weeks after buying the bike.
“It has been the hardest five months since I found out I had cancer and it was nice that my fiancé had treated himself to a new bike.
“He decided to participate in the charity cycle to say thank you to the Christie for keeping me alive, providing treatment and keeping my morale going.
“My fiancé is absolutely distraught, I had spent the whole of Monday having treatment at the Christie and the one night I slept in the house by myself we were burgled.”
The callous thieves had broken in through the kitchen window with a knife while Susan was asleep and made off with the bike.
Susan was completely unaware of the intrusion and was woken by her rescue dog barking at around 4.30am.
Yet instead of rushing down the stairs to meet the intruders, the dog stayed by Susan’s side throughout the night.
“When I woke up I found the backdoor and window open and a knife in the back garden,” she said.
“I was distraught that if the dog had gone downstairs he could have been knifed.
“To think that there were a group of men wandering round the house while I was fast asleep and vulnerable just sickens me. I hope the bastards get caught.”
The couple have received support from family and friends since the incident and were even contacted by Edinburgh Co-op offering to loan a bike so that Susan’s fiancé can still compete.
She described the gesture as ‘truly touching’ but still hopes that their bike may still be returned.
She said: “I have been on social media trying to raise awareness and I am praying that the men have a change of heart and return the bike back to us.
“It has not just been tough for me but tough for my fiancé as well, we bought this bike during such a tough few months to bring some positivity into our lives.
“I just wanted to live the rest of my life as full as possible and I was so proud that my fiancé would take on this challenge to raise money for The Christie.”
Anyone with information should call police on 0161 856 4991 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Picture courtesy of Martin C44 via Flickr, with thanks
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