Ross Simpson
Ross' 3000km UK to Sicily Run
Fundraising for Youth Cancer Trust
Story
Instagram: ThatRossSimpson
On the morning of the 1st May I sombrely left the Cathedral gates in Canterbury city centre and began my 1,800 mile run to Palermo Cathedral on the Italian island of Sicily.
To get there I'll have to run roughly 65/70 marathons in 100 days and cover a huge spectrum of different challenges, including scaling the Alps, traversing Volcanos and having to vaseline my nipples in the woods each morning without being arrested. To save money I'll be wild camping and living primarily on tinned fish, cheese and whatever I can get my hands on, depending on the kindness of strangers for my water. I'll be unsupported and be carrying all my gear/food/water in a backpack, weighing roughly 12kg.
My journey will take me from Canterbury to Dover whereby I'll take the ferry to Calais, I'll run from Calais enter Switzerland, run around Lake Geneva and scale the Alps, before descending into northern Italy, then I'll run the length of Italy, before taking the ferry from Villa San Giovanni to Messina and running across Sicily via Mt.Etna and then to Palermo, whereby my legs will detach themselves and leave my body in search for a kinder host.
All dad jokes aside, this is for a fantastic cause and I hope you'll please donate a little bit of money. It's easy to sometimes think 'what difference can my donation make?' or 'I'll do that when I'm less busy', but please take the plunge and help today. If I'm successful raising £5,000, that will pay for 10 young people aged 14-30 whose lives are/or have been rocked by Cancer, to take a short holiday with others in their situation and have a brief respite from their ordeal or start rebuilding their lives. It's hard for most of us to understand the fear, isolation and the loneliness that cancer can cause, please read this testimonial from Jack, one of the lucky recipients of YCT's beautiful work:
“I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins T-Cell Lymphoma - a cancer of the blood. I underwent two years of intense chemotherapy and finally managed to beat this dreadful disease. My journey to recovery was hard, but the psychological effects were harder. Although I had a very supportive family and great friends, I always felt alone, different to everyone else. Many weeks I spent living in isolation, as my immunity was so low that even a cold, or the flu would have been fatal. I looked different, I had no hair, my face was swollen because of the treatment I was having, I looked really sick. I couldn’t do the things my friends were doing, and felt as though I missed out on precious years of my childhood.
However, my battle against cancer was a fight made easier by the Youth Cancer Trust. I was given an opportunity to escape reality and enjoy a week at Tracy Ann House in Bournemouth. The charity provided me, and other patients like me, a holiday full of fun activities and a chance to be around others that were also in the same position. Whilst there, my feelings of isolation were gone and I no longer felt abnormal. I also met one of my closest friends during my stay, and have created some of the best memories ever. To be around others that understand you and have shared your experiences, is something which made my treatment almost bearable” Jack
So scrap that second beer at the pub, ditch that Boots meal deal and put the Costa cup down. Save a few pounds somewhere this week and lets make a difference for some young people, who are just like me and you, and have been given some terrible news in the prime of their live's.
Thank you for reading... now please help & donate ->
TL/DR - I'm running from the UK to Sicily, unsupported, wild camping along the way. Raising money for Youth Cancer Trust, providing short breaks and support for young cancer sufferers. If you've enjoyed even slightly watching me suffer, then PLEASE donate.
On the morning of the 1st May I sombrely left the Cathedral gates in Canterbury city centre and began my 1,800 mile run to Palermo Cathedral on the Italian island of Sicily.
To get there I'll have to run roughly 65/70 marathons in 100 days and cover a huge spectrum of different challenges, including scaling the Alps, traversing Volcanos and having to vaseline my nipples in the woods each morning without being arrested. To save money I'll be wild camping and living primarily on tinned fish, cheese and whatever I can get my hands on, depending on the kindness of strangers for my water. I'll be unsupported and be carrying all my gear/food/water in a backpack, weighing roughly 12kg.
My journey will take me from Canterbury to Dover whereby I'll take the ferry to Calais, I'll run from Calais enter Switzerland, run around Lake Geneva and scale the Alps, before descending into northern Italy, then I'll run the length of Italy, before taking the ferry from Villa San Giovanni to Messina and running across Sicily via Mt.Etna and then to Palermo, whereby my legs will detach themselves and leave my body in search for a kinder host.
All dad jokes aside, this is for a fantastic cause and I hope you'll please donate a little bit of money. It's easy to sometimes think 'what difference can my donation make?' or 'I'll do that when I'm less busy', but please take the plunge and help today. If I'm successful raising £5,000, that will pay for 10 young people aged 14-30 whose lives are/or have been rocked by Cancer, to take a short holiday with others in their situation and have a brief respite from their ordeal or start rebuilding their lives. It's hard for most of us to understand the fear, isolation and the loneliness that cancer can cause, please read this testimonial from Jack, one of the lucky recipients of YCT's beautiful work:
“I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins T-Cell Lymphoma - a cancer of the blood. I underwent two years of intense chemotherapy and finally managed to beat this dreadful disease. My journey to recovery was hard, but the psychological effects were harder. Although I had a very supportive family and great friends, I always felt alone, different to everyone else. Many weeks I spent living in isolation, as my immunity was so low that even a cold, or the flu would have been fatal. I looked different, I had no hair, my face was swollen because of the treatment I was having, I looked really sick. I couldn’t do the things my friends were doing, and felt as though I missed out on precious years of my childhood.
However, my battle against cancer was a fight made easier by the Youth Cancer Trust. I was given an opportunity to escape reality and enjoy a week at Tracy Ann House in Bournemouth. The charity provided me, and other patients like me, a holiday full of fun activities and a chance to be around others that were also in the same position. Whilst there, my feelings of isolation were gone and I no longer felt abnormal. I also met one of my closest friends during my stay, and have created some of the best memories ever. To be around others that understand you and have shared your experiences, is something which made my treatment almost bearable” Jack
So scrap that second beer at the pub, ditch that Boots meal deal and put the Costa cup down. Save a few pounds somewhere this week and lets make a difference for some young people, who are just like me and you, and have been given some terrible news in the prime of their live's.
Thank you for reading... now please help & donate ->
TL/DR - I'm running from the UK to Sicily, unsupported, wild camping along the way. Raising money for Youth Cancer Trust, providing short breaks and support for young cancer sufferers. If you've enjoyed even slightly watching me suffer, then PLEASE donate.