As a former Health Correspondent for ITV Wales News, I’m no stranger to stories of injury and illness, but as regular readers of my blog will know, earlier this year I was the one who was in hospital.
I’d been skiing in France when I fell, severing my anterior cruciate ligament and damaging the cartilage in my knee. The result was surgery and months of rehabilitation, but worse than that, I had to miss out on a journey of a lifetime in aid of the charity Marie Curie. I’d been due to take part in a trek through the Costa Rican rainforest but on the day I was due to board the plane I was wheeled into an operating theatre instead. 
It wasn’t just a disappointment for me, but for the charity as well. Overseas treks are one of the biggest sources of income for Marie Curie’s Cardiff and The Vale Hospice in Penarth which cares for people with terminal illnesses, and their families. I’ve seen first hand the difference it makes, because the Marie Curie staff cared for my grandfather before he died, and now I am an Ambassador for the hospice.
But it’s not all bad news as I have now signed up for a Marie Curie trek to Sri Lanka next year instead. I’m so excited, as it’s going to be an amazing adventure and the money I raise will make a real difference.
The hospice costs £4.6million a year to run, and only 40% of that comes from the government, the rest is made up of donations and fundraising. My partner, Dave, and I are aiming to raise at least £7,000 between us, but in total the trek should raise more than £100,000.
However the charity needs more people to volunteer to take part. At the moment 17 of us have signed up, but there are still another 15 places.
The team will be trekking through forests and National Parks with breath taking views, for between 2 and 8 hours a day, depending on the terrain. And I’ve been told by people who’ve taken part in these treks before that they are a life changing experience.
So if you fancy a challenge why not sign up? If I can do it just 18 months after major knee surgery, you should have no problems!
For more information about the trek visit the Marie Curie website
www.mariecurie.org.uk/get-involved/charity-events/hospice-treks/sri-lanka-trek-marie-curie-cardiff
Or contact Marie Curie’s Community Fundraiser Georgina Burke on 02920 426068 or [email protected]
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