Shine Walk 2023 – I did it!

Dear Readers,

Today is going to be a slightly different blog post than usual!

I have something exciting to share with you. Despite various bones in my body aching, I feel on top of the world; I did the Shine Night Walk London 2023. I walked for 26 mi 385 yd or 42.195 km last Saturday.

I started in Battersea Park at 19.45, chirpy and smiling; I finished 10 hours later a tired zombie in pain. But I wouldn’t change it for the world.

It was a fantastic experience walking past Battersea Power Station, Tate Modern, Tower Bridge, Parliament- through Farringdon, Hyde Park, Kensington and more. I bonded with random strangers, ate more energy bars than I had ever done, and, for the first time in 20-odd years, saw parts of London at 4 a.m. Bonus: this time, I wasn’t drunk or high on something! Although I saw plenty of very wasted youngsters as we walked past bars and nightclubs.

Ever since I was small, I’ve enjoyed going on walks. Some long, some short. Alone and in groups. Walking is in my bones and my psyche. It makes me happy!

But I was born with a medical condition, which doesn’t affect me much in my day-to-day life, apart from not being very sporty and having loads of physiotherapy when young. I was the kid picked last for sports teams and the slowest runner in my school. It was just who I was. I got used to it. I excelled at other things.

When I was sixteen, however, things changed. I had a P.E. teacher who was beyond awful! I won’t name and shame her, although she would deserve it! She said she worried about me leaving school and entering the real world. She exclaimed very loudly in one P.E. lesson that with my physical health, I would never be able to hold down a job, live alone or shop. She kept going on about me and grocery shopping week after week. (That was before online deliveries were a thing). IDIOTIC WOMAN!!!!!

Those who know me know I am more than capable of living alone, working, and grocery shopping week after week, just like many of you.

But of course, not everyone is. We all have strengths, weaknesses, and different abilities to cope with everyday life. I work as a professional organiser, where I help people declutter their homes, digital devices, and photos. Many of my clients are physically capable of going through their wardrobes and discarding stuff but cannot do it mentally. I help them! There are others who, through illness or disability, struggle to lift or walk. I help those, too. I am hands-on.

Over the past ten years, I have lost several close friends to cancer. A had a second brain tumour after being in remission for 25 years. S had lung cancer, and I was in hospital as she passed away. C and M both died in their 30s. I could go on.

While medicine has come a long way since the days of my maternal grandfather, who I never met, he had leukaemia and died before I was born. But there is still much to be done. I think Cancer Research U.K. is a cause worth supporting.

There were two reasons for me to do the Shine Walk this year. One was to raise funds for Cancer Research so that future generations won’t lose friends and relatives to this horrific disease. You can still donate if you like. But I appreciate not everyone can.

The second reason was to challenge myself and do something I didn’t think I could do – walking 26 miles, but I did it! You can check out my Instagram page, where I put photos of my training walks.

After completing the Shine Marathon, I wanted a mobility scooter. I was in pain and couldn’t move! A few hours later, after some rest, plenty of tea and a hot bath, I realised that Cancer Research will give you a 30% discount on the registration fee for next year. By the evening, I am going in my head: ‘Stuff the mobility scooter and register for next year. It’ll be cheaper!’ While I haven’t entirely signed on the dotted line, I will definitely do it again next year!

If you want to challenge yourself in some way or another, watch this space. I will be posting more articles on this going forward.

Have you ever done anything challenging or lost a loved one to cancer? Let me know int he comments below.