Story
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Five years ago the prospect of walking 85 miles along Hadrian's Wall would have seemed no challenge at all: Sally and I have been keen walkers all our lives and have always been fit and healthy.
But since the onset of all kinds of seemingly unrelated health problems five years ago (chronic fatigue, arthritis, abdominal pain) and finally being diagnosed with GeneticHaemochromatosis, this will be no mean feat for me.
Sufferers of haemochromatosis, like me, absorb excess iron from food which then accumulates in the body's joints and organs, leading to debilitating and life-threatening complications including liver cirrhosis, liver cancer, diabetes and heart failure.
By the time I was diagnosed my level of Serum Ferritin ( a key indicator of iron overload) was over 30 times greater than the normal level.
Fortunately my liver was only mildly damaged and my heart is still healthy. However I still suffer from chronic fatigue and painful arthritis, particularly in my knees & toes.
I was fortunate to be diagnosed early, but many are not so lucky.
This has made Sally and I more determined to rise to the challenge of this walk in order to raise awareness of this little-known, but not uncommon condition, so that it can be detected earlier and treated in more people before it becomes life threatening.
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