I have an appalling sense of direction and I'm not a particularly seasoned walker, but despite that, I began walking the 630 mile South West Coast Path on 4 June 2011 in Minehead, Somerset and finished on 7 August 2011 in Poole, Dorset. Everyday I carried a rucksack that weighed on average 15kg, which included basic provisions such as a sleeping bag, tent and cooking gear. I walked nearly a hundred extra miles to and from campsites and was joined only briefly by friends and family.
Why? For my sister, Caroline. She was diagnosed with Raynaud's in Autumn 2009 and the following Spring, with a rare condition called scleroderma. Raynaud's affects the extremities of the body, mainly the fingers and toes, with blood being prevented from reaching these areas on exposure to the cold, any slight change in temperature or vibrations. Scleroderma is a disease which affects the connective tissue and means 'hard skin' but the hardness is not limited to the skin - the internal organs and their blood supply may also become damaged. There is no cure for either of these conditions and scleroderma can be life threatening.
My aim was three fold:
1) To complete the 630 mile walk
2) To talk to as many people as possible about Raynaud's and scleroderma and how they have affected my sister's life
3) To raise on average £10 per mile of the South West Coast Path for research into both conditions.
I am delighted to say that through the generosity of everyone I met on the walk, as well as friends, family and keen facebook supporters, we have have now achieved all three aims. All the money raised will go to the Raynaud’s & Scleroderma Association (RSA) 'Cool Million' appeal to raise a million pounds between 2010 and the end of 2012, to fund research projects into these two diseases. Please see http://www.raynauds.org.uk/ for more information.
We may have reached and exceeded the aim for this walk, but RSA still needs your support to reach the Cool Million. Please support me, to support my sister and others living with Raynaud's and Scleroderma.
Thank you, Sue.
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