I am walking the entire East Devon Way, to raise money for FORCE after being unexpectedly diagnosed with cancer in September 2022.

Last year my life was irreparably changed; I was diagnosed with a dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP), one of the rarest forms of cancer - it makes up only 0.05% of all diagnosed cancers. It came as a shock after we'd dismissed it as a ganglion cyst for a few years. After the diagnosis, the appointments came swifty. By October, I had undergone major surgery on my ankle, to remove the sarcoma and reconstruct the area. Every step of the way, I had support from FORCE nurses and support staff, from my bedside, to the walk-in center.

When the specialists talked about what would happen next, giving me details of the surgery and recovery, it was impossible to grasp the journey I was about to undertake. In the end, it was a five and a half hour surgery to remove the sarcoma, complete the muscle graft, and take and use the skin graft. My time in hospital kept on extending, first 1 week, then two. Infection, antibiotics. Finally having physio. The frustration, of absence of communication between the teams overseeing my care. I was in hospital for 3 weeks in the end and I still feel the repercussions of it: a large part of the recovery was having my foot in something called a Bair Hugger, a device that kept the surgery site at 42°C... feeling the cold is not something that affected me prior to this. When I was finally able to go home, I was unable to walk without aid, and used a wheelchair to leave the house. I had community nurses come every day to redress the wound, and appointments back in hospital twice a week. Then the skin graft died. More antibiotics. Another skin graft 4 days before Christmas which left me off my feet again. And the biggest challenge? Learning to walk again. That's why I'm doing this.

Having the independence, stamina and strength to disappear off into the local wilderness, and walk the many footpaths in the rolling hills and serene greenery have been a huge part of my mental and physical rehabilitation. Now I'm recovering and back on my feet, I want to use my story and experience to raise awareness and raise money for an amazing charity.

July is sarcoma awareness month, so I'll be working throughout the month to fundraise, and educate about the "forgotten" cancer. From July 18-21st of July I'll be walking the entire East Devon Way, a 40 mile inland route from Lyme Regis to Exmouth. Throughout the month I'll be vlogging, streaming, and posting all about my hikes.

Beyond this I'll also be doing the traditional head shave, a painting livestream, and a small raffle.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

For more information about Force and what they do follow this link

https://forcecancercharity.co.uk/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIseOWyubr_wIVxuPtCh2SYgAxEAAYASAAEgKqMfD_BwE

To learn more about Sarcoma cancer follow this link

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/soft-tissue-sarcoma/

To learn about the East Devon Way follow this link

https://www.eastdevonway.org.uk/