In Their Honour: Who Will You Hike For?

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In Their Honour: Who Will You Hike For?

Walking for Cancer Research UK: raising money and awareness

19/10/2025

It's been a while - but I'm back!

Two spinal surgeries, a graduation, more studying, a new business venture and a new job later... We're going again. We're again, , for Cancer Research UK .

I have some work to do on my fitness and fitting back into my walking kit, but now I have a deadline...

Join us and walk the Hebridean Way next year! ?

Please get in touch if you'd like to get involved, whether as a or whether you have a story to add to our page. The website has had a facelift but little content has changed.

I can't wait to get stuck in and maybe meet some new folks on the trails. Keep your eyes open for training walk content soon!

https://fundraise.cancerresearchuk.org/team/in-their-honour

Hebridean Way

18/03/2025

I think she'd like this. What a gorgeous design. 💜

03/03/2025

The first walk as part of the project was Hadrian's Wall 11 months ago, during . It was an experience...!

Yesterday, I got to head back to the highest point of the wall at , around halfway across the route, and to the iconic . I stayed at the same youth hostel YHA The Sill at Hadrian's Wall as we did last time, and popped into the wonderful Twice Brewed Inn for a drink and some stargazing. I got to go into The Sill: National Landscape Discovery Centre while it was open too, which we didn't get the chance to last year.

I can feel how much fitness I have lost, but getting to see these views again, pain-free, seemed impossible only a few months ago. How beautiful is the light in those last two photos? The walk started out a little grey, but the sun broke through and I was blessed with these blue skies!

Dr Wojcik Fitzwilliam Hospital has given me the chance to get my fitness back, return to the outdoors and adventuring. I won't take that for granted. I'll be back fundraising for before I know it, ! ? Cancer Research UK

31/12/2024

Cheers and Happy New Year, everyone... here's to 2025. Let's make it a good year!

A lovely chilled Christmas at and a couple of gentle walks later, and 2024 is nearly over... A year of two halves. completed in awful conditions; done, and what a crazily wonderful experience; and my amazing dad and uncle did while I was broken. Over £5k raised for so far, and I'm not giving up.

I'm down, but I'm not out. Two spinal surgeries later, I'm gradually getting back to full fitness! I made a new year's resolution last year to walk 10k steps a day 😬 that went well for me.... I've been off work and laid up since the start of July! So this year, my only resolution is to get some fitness back, and have a bloody good time.

In 2024, we lost Sally-Anne, Chris and Gary. Hopefully, we'll get to walk in 2025 for them, once I'm healed up. We've been saying for four years that next year needs to be better... Well, this time, I'm going to *make* it better. 2025 will be better, by design, no matter what the universe throws my way.

24/12/2024

Christmas has arrived! I'm headed off-grid for the festivities, to my happy place - the woods. Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas. We'll be raising a glass to absent loved ones.

It's almost a month since surgery number two. I'm hoping to manage a short walk or two while away, but just being outside and surrounded by trees instead of screens will be a brilliant start.

Have a wonderful festive season, whatever your plans. I should be back amongst civilisation before the end of 2024, if only to see it out and make sure it leaves...!

26/11/2024

Surgery day (take two). Hopefully this time it'll do the job!

26/10/2024

Back to square one.

The Fitzwilliam Hospital were fantastic yesterday. I was meant to see the consultant, but they did an MRI there and then as well, and then the consultant reviewed the MRI immediately. I can't fault them, and would recommend them to anyone needing a spinal specialist.

The outcome, though, is that the injury I had surgery to fix has reoccurred. This is a rare but not unheard of complication. The surgery was successful, as I had four wonderful pain free weeks and I didn't push myself too hard - so this is no one's fault. It's just bad luck.

That bad luck means I'm once again horizontal. I'm on gabapentin, codeine, tramadol, and oramorph. I'm staying with mum and dad because I'm less able to do anything than I was last time around.

We've had to postpone our family holiday, which I'm gutted about and feel very guilty, as I know everyone was looking forward to it - and, more importantly, needed it. However Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines have been absolutely fantastic - again, I can't fault them, and would recommend them to anyone in terms of customer service. I can't wait to cruise with them in the future.

Now, we wait. I've been referred to the pain management consultant at the Fitz, to see if this will self resolve with some kind of injection - steroid or nerve root block, presumably. If not, it'll be surgery again. We have no idea what the timescales look like - I just have to wait.

21/10/2024

Not the best news.

I had decompression and discectomy surgery on the 16th of September and everything was going beautifully. I was pain free and had started doing some very short little walks in the local area.

Unfortunately last Tuesday night I struggled to sleep due to pain down my left leg, and I was in quite a lot more pain on Wednesday. This worsened on Thursday to a point actually worse than it was before the surgery, and my surgeon requested an urgent MRI scan, which I am waiting for now.

On Friday, Dad took me to A&E, because even with paracetamol, ibuprofen, gabapentin, and the codeine and oramorph I had been discharged with but hadn't previously needed to use, I was in a lot of pain and struggled to get upstairs to the bathroom. I was in A&E for 7 hours. I didn't see anyone for the first 2, and had no pain relief for nearly 4. I was discharged with a prescription which we couldn't get until the morning, and I couldn't get from the waiting room to the car. I was minimally examined and not scanned, so I left still in significant pain, and with no answers.

I've spent the last few days at mum and dad's house, lying down. I'm still taking all of that pain relief, plus tramadol and naproxen, but even still I'm only comfortable when flat. I'm also sleeping a lot and having some very strange dreams. Really not a fan of these meds.

My urgent MRI is now booked for Saturday, another 6 days away. I am due to see the surgeon on 31st October and I am hoping and praying that he has the results of the MRI before that appointment, and that whatever is wrong can be fixed - preferably quickly!

We've had twofold bad news this week, so there are two more people I need to walk for. Two more people to go on the list. I need to get back out into the mountains for them 💜

23/08/2024

I received an email from the lovely "relationship executive" at Cancer Research UK who has been so wonderfully supportive throughout the planning stages and the first few walks of this project. Here is a small part of it:

"Once you’ve had your surgery and have a clearer idea of what recovery looks like, we can start thinking ahead to 2025, but in the meantime do not worry at all about the upcoming events. You have well and truly smashed your expectations of what you were hoping to raise for the charity, and it is going to make a huge impact on our life saving research. I am sure this will give you even more drive to continue in the near future and it's completely understandable that you might need some steadier years to regain your fitness. I’ll be here to support you every step of the way. I’m sure you’ll be back on your feet and feeling stronger in no time. Please take care of yourself, and please don’t hesitate to reach out if there’s anything I can do for you. Wishing you a smooth surgery and a speedy recovery."

I was stunned by the charity's support through the set-up of the project and PROJECT LAUNCH. To hear from them before and after Hadrian's Wall, Wainwright's Coast to Coast, and the Six Peaks challenge was an incredible touch, and showed that they've really kept up with the calendar for my little project even amongst the rest of their busy calendar.

But this is something else. Reporting the cancellation of the Lincolnshire challenges and the South Downs Way walk felt like a personal failure, but also a failure on the charity's behalf. It's not a position I ever expected to be in. But here we are, and receiving this - ongoing support despite the unplanned hiatus, and a reminder of what we have achieved so far - was sorely needed and probably more appreciated than they will ever know.

Feeling thankful today. 💜

10/08/2024

Can anyone see the problem here? 😬😳😫 I am now on the waiting list for surgery to correct the disc at L5/S1, which is pressing on nerves and causing the pain and numbness in my leg. I'm spending a lot of time lying down at the moment, and the recovery from the surgery will be more lying down...

I will get back to full fitness as soon as I can, but the South Downs Way event will also have to be postponed for now. 😭

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