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Queensferry Crossing Walk!
On 2nd September my husband Sam and I will be joining my brother Willie and his girlfriend Lyn to walk across the new Queensferry Crossing!
This once in a lifetime opportunity attracted applications from more than 226,000 people and we are honoured to be a part of it! When it officially opens, the Queensferry Crossing will be the main route for traffic crossing the Forth. Unlike the Forth Road Bridge, it will have no pedestrian walkway which makes this event a very special moment in time. The 2.7km structure will be the longest three-tower cable-stayed bridge in the world!
We would like to use this opportunity to raise money for Perth Royal Infirmary's Oncology Unit. This is a unit I have had to (unfortunately!) visit many times! ;) In 2011, at the age of 35, I was diagnosed with Grade 3 aggressive breast cancer. I underwent a mastectomy, reconstruction, 6 rounds of chemo and 3 weeks of daily radio-therapy. After such intensive treatment the doctors were quite positive for my future! However, after 6 years 'clear', in April this year I was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer with tumours to my lungs and bone. I'm currently halfway through a 6 cycle course of a different chemo therapy to manage my symptoms. I'd like to raise money for Perth Royal Infirmary Oncology Unit. An example of why I'd like to help raise money for PRI Oncology Unit ...'cold cap' machines, which can help reduce or even prevent hair loss when undergoing chemo therapy, are not funded by the NHS and cost thousands. These may not be life saving, but losing your hair is, to me, one of the worst side effects of chemo.
This walk will be challenging for my husband Sam. In 2009 whilst serving with The Black Watch (3 SCOTS) in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, the Mastiff APC he was driving went over an IED. As a result of the explosion, after years of pain and many surgeries, Sam had his right leg amputated below the knee. Although he manages brilliantly with his prosthetic leg, a walk this length will be painful. We'd like to raise funds for 'Bike Tours for the Wounded'. This brilliant charity takes wounded ex-military personnel on trips abroad to places such as Route 66 on motorcycles to help with their recuperation.
