Grantham woman to cycle over 1,000 miles in memory of her father who ‘never lost his smile’

A woman who took on a 6,600 mile bike ride in memory of her mother, is back in the saddle again this time in tribute to her beloved father.

Jane Fiorentino, from Grantham, will begin her solo bike ride on June 2 until September 1, with the aim to raise money for Kidney Research UK.

The inspiration to raise money for the charity comes from her father George Fiorentino, who died in 1997 of kidney failure.

“Whatever life threw at my dad he never lost his smile, that’s how I remember him, a big smile on his face and always whistling a tune,” said Jane.

She added: “In the last few years of dad’s life he developed kidney failure and had to go on dialysis.

“He did this at home several times a day. He also suffered from asthma and his chest wasn’t too good, so a kidney transplant was out of the question as he wouldn’t have survived such an operation.”

This is not the first charity cycle ride Jane has faced, after she rode 6,607 miles throughout last year and raised £1,320 for Dementia UK.

This ride was in memory of her mother Barbara Fiorentino, who had vascular dementia and died in September 2022.

“When I’m out on my bike I’m always thinking about my late mum and dad. I miss them terribly,” said Jane.

She is also doing the cycle ride to show it is not only the person that suffers from a kidney-related issue, but their families too.

Jane added: “Family members also suffer. My mum had to give up her job at Grantham Hospital to look after my dad.

“Everything changes and life has to revolve around dialysis.”

Jane, who loves a challenge, will work out how many miles she has to ride a week when the start date comes around.

She added: “I can imagine dad looking down with a big smile, feeling proud and saying ‘that’s my Janey girl’.”

To help Jane reach her fundraising goal, go to her GoFundMe page at https://www.justgiving.com/page/jane-fiorentino.

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