Just over one month ago one of my dearest friends, Debbie Hudson, was cruelly taken from us following a lengthy battle with cancer. Debbie had had cancer on three separate occasions; she was first diagnosed with breast cancer twenty five years ago, but with treatment and courage she won that battle; she then received news six years ago that the cancer had returned in the other breast and once again with treatment, a masectomy and a whole lot more courage and determination she once again defeated this terrible disease, an accomplishment we celebrated with her on the five year anniversary of being given the all clear, with a BBQ garden party at her house. 

Unfortunately the next October Debbie started to complain to me that she was feeling breathless and lethargic, and that she was worried the cancer had returned, so I told her to go and see her doctor. She did, and after a series of tests the news she received this time was truly devastating - it was terminal.

But Debbie wasn’t going down without yet another fight, telling me on more than one occasion “I’m going to beat this bastard disease, because I’m not ready to die yet!”

She endured several courses of chemotherapy, which caused her to suffer terrible side effects and took away this amazingly brave lady’s quality of life, until she was admitted to Garden House Hospice - which is where she would remain until she sadly passed last month.

It is such a happy place, with Doctors, Nurses and volunteers working around the clock to give every patient the care, comfort and dignity they deserve, and I’m determined that I will raise enough funds to ensure that the amazing work they do can continue long into the future.

Anyone that knows me will also know that  for me to spend any time in a jungle, let alone ten days trekking through it for up to eight hours a day, will be a monumentous challenge, but if I can summon up even the tiniest percentage of the courage I saw from my friend during her battle, not only do I know I’ll get through it, but I can look in the mirror and feel that I’ve done her memory proud.

My total fundraising needs to hit a minimum of £3800, of which £3100 needs to be with the Hospice by July and the further £700 by October, which is when myself and Debbie’s sister Anna will join a group of other Garden House Hospice fundraisers and depart for Borneo.

If you’ve read this far, then well done and thank you, and all that is left for you to do is donate!! Please give anything you can afford and if you’d be so kind as to share my page for others to see I’d appreciate that massively!

Between us we will ‘beat this bastard disease’!!