Trek reality check - this is for real!

It’s only 2 months until I leave for Peru! On Saturday I travelled to London to meet my fellow Trekkers at a really interesting and informative Beating Bowel Cancer Trek Peru briefing session, not to mention inspirational and motivating! The dream became a reality when we were told about some of the challenges we would endure: extremes of temperature (-15C at night), effects of trekking at high altitude, 8-10 hours of trekking for 6 consecutive days, toilet facilities (none!), alongside the need to drink at least 4 litres of water daily to combat dehydration. (Thoughts in the room turned towards toilets again!). I was moved and amazed at some of the images of the mountains and breaktaking scenery I’ll be part of in only a few weeks time, and kept thinking “I can’t wait!”, swiftly followed by “I’m not fit enough!”. We were told by the experienced group leader that everyone who does a challenging trek thinks they’re not fit enough when they start. So maybe I shouldn’t feel too bad!

Mike came along with his camera to record the start of this great adventure, as I am keen to share with you all the images and emotions of this incredible journey that really started for me nearly 5 years ago. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sbqOXdE524

The biggest challenge at the moment is fitting in the essential physical training alongside running my virtual assistant business, AmazingVA, but the trek itself and the reasons why I’m doing it transcend the short-term difficulties and my limited thinking. This is by far the biggest physical, mental and emotional challenge I’ve ever chosen to do. Facing a life-threatenging cancer diagnosis, major surgery and 9 months of chemotherapy was definitely the biggest - difference is that I didn’t choose to do that.

I’ve raised £3,246 and during the remaining couple of months would dearly love to stretch this to £5000. One of the trekkers we met in London has received a £5000 boost from a firm of solicitors overseeing the estate of somebody who had insisted her estate be left to charity. I won’t be relying on that happening to me, but I do need to raise as much money as possible to help increase awareness of the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer so more people don’t have to die needlessly from a disease that is curable if caught in time.

I’m so grateful for the help I received from Beating Bowel Cancer during my illness and the resulting awareness which enabled me to save my younger brothers, both of whom underwent surgery very soon after me. Another bonus, if you can call it that, was that I was able to push for speedy surgery for my father who received the same bowel cancer diagnosis last August. He is doing so well now and looking forward to moving into a newly refurbished home just eight doors away from us. Old men don’t have to literally die of embarrassment especially if we can all keep talking bottoms and bowels!

Can I ask you to forward this email on to anyone you think might benefit from an awareness point of view or who might consider sponsoring me at: http://www.justgiving.com/helencrowe1

Thank you very much if you have already sponsored me and please keep talking ‘bottoms and bowels’!

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