We made it - trekked the whole of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu!  Terrain was tough in places, beautiful, rugged, awe-inspiring and a lifetime experience.  We had a wonderful group of fellow trekkers all walking for the same cause, Penny Brohn Cancer Care, and to date we as a group have raised circa £37,000 - it would be good to get to that £40k mark so if you haven't donated please do!

Thank you to everyone who has supported us both financially, physically and emotionally through this journey of ours - we have thoroughly enjoyed every moment of the last year in training and on the actual event.

 

 

Updated on Oct 4th 2011 at 10:48 PM from the JustGiving API

Just up'd our target amount - more donations now required! Thanks to all those who have been so generous so far. We need more though!

Updated on Oct 4th 2011 at 4:11 PM from the JustGiving API

3 days to go and we're really near our target. It would be lovely to go well over! Final booster injections tonight so we'll be fit and raring to climb that mountain!

Updated on Oct 2nd 2011 at 9:28 AM from the JustGiving API

5 days to go - kit being gathered to pack.

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Discovering Machu Picchu, the mysterious “Lost City of the Incas” is surely one of the greatest achievements imaginable. But there’s more to it than that.

Sadly, cancer will touch almost everyone at some point in their lives. My experience was with my Father who sadly died from Prostate Cancer which was not caught early enough.  MEN GO AND GET CHECKED. But when going through this traumatic time and having to travel between my home in Bristol to London every week to help nurse Dad we found many wonderful people willing to help with care, giving up their time and energy to help us. With this support from volunteers for caring, driving to and from hospital appointments and counselling support we could not have got through this challenging period. 

For me it was a life changing experience  and now I feel I want to give a little back to help others in similar situations. 

Consequently, I began Volunteer Driving at the Penny Brohn Cancer Care Centre in Pill, just outside Bristol a short distance from my home. 

I then volunteered to undertake the Charity's major fund raising event in this their 25th year anniversary.  Climbing Machu Picchu in Peru in October will be the most physically demanding thing I have ever done.  Both Howard (my husband) and I have been in training since January and have also tackled the Three Peaks (Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike & Snowdon in three days), we went back to the Lake District and also have climbed Pen-y-Fan in Wales - all as part of our training fro Machu Picchu.  We are currently on a Fitness Bootcamp 3 mornings a week (6.30am start!!) and are back to Snowdon in September.  Training is going well.

We want to raise as much as we can for Penny Brohn Cancer Care so here is a little bit about the Charity:-

At Penny Brohn Cancer Care they believe that everyone affected by cancer should have access to life-changing care and support.

The Penny Brohn Cancer Care Centre pioneered The Bristol Approach which developed by doctors, nurses, therapists and people with cancer, as a unique combination of complementary therapies and self-help techniques. It is designed to work alongside medical treatment and is supported by leading oncologists and others in the healthcare field. It offers:

Specialist support:
•Psychotherapy/counselling
•Doctor sessions
•Nutritional advice
•Group work

Self-help techniques:
•Relaxation
•Meditation
•Imagery
•Breathwork
•Natural pain management
•Gentle exercise

Complementary therapies:
•Massage
•Shiatsu
•Healing
•Music therapy
•Art therapy

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.  Many, many thanks in anticipation!