For those of you who know me well you will be aware of my better half's 6-year battle with Breast Cancer, a battle she is still fighting to this day and will be fighting for the rest of her life.

The diagnosis of stage 3 invasive ductal carcinoma diagnosis was somewhat of a shock just two days before a long-planned European tour. Eight rounds of chemotherapy soon followed, and to say we were at a very low point in our lives was an understatement. We were put in touch with the Willow foundation by Gemma's Cancer Nurse. 

A charity set up by Arsenal Legend Bob Wilson & his wife Megs in memory of their daughter Anna who sadly lost her 5-year battle with cancer in 1998 at the age of 31, Willow is the only national charity working with seriously ill young adults aged 16 to 40 to fulfil uplifting and unforgettable Special Days, for some it’s a last chance to fulfil a dream with the people that really matter but thankfully for many more their Special Day is an important opportunity to put much-needed normality back into living.

Willow where kind enough to arrange for Gemma & me to spend a weekend in London and the best seats in the house for the Lion King stage show, yes some may say that's not much, but at that time, it meant so much to us to have a break from treatment & get a little normality back into our lives.

Since then, I have been volunteering at several events for Willow & was scheduled to complete a China Wall trek, but COVID hit! Two subsequent attempts to rearrange failed, so the new plan is a five-day trek across Romania's Transylvania region.