Steve Cartwirght, Pete Davies and Sean McEvoy of Olympus Print Group will be completing a coast to coast walk in support of Vasculitis UK. The walk will take 5 full days to complete with the distance being equivalent to walking a marathon each day. The walk will begin on the 1st September 2019, starting at Sandside in Cumbria. The finishing point is Robin Hoods Bay on the coast of North Yorkshire which will be reached on the 5th September 2019.

Why Vasculitis UK? Olympus Print Group support Vasculitis UK as a member of staff has EGPA (eosinophilia granulomatosis with polyangitis) which is a type of Vasculitis. Emma fell ill at 18 years old, spending 3 years very poorly undiagnosed, she finally received the diagnosis of EGPA at 21 years olds. Emma spent years fighting to survive and had to endure various types of chemotherapy and procedures over the last 10 years.. At the worst point Emma was told it was unlikely that she would survive the next 48hours and was told to get her family to the hospital ASAP. Emma started working for Olympus Print Group before getting ill and continues to work for the company to this day, she has the full support from the company directors, managers and fellow colleagues. 

What is EGPA? EGPA (eosinophilia granulomatosis with polyangitis) is an autoimmune disease which is a type of Vasculitis. It is extremely rare with around only 2 - 5 people being diagnosed a year.  EGPA effects the small and medium blood vessels causing a type of white blood cells (eosinophils) to attack the immune system. Due to it effecting the blood vessels it means pretty much every part of the body is affected, the most common areas being the lungs, skin, heart, kidneys, nerves and bowels. Due to the major organs being involved this does mean that EGPA can be fatal. The cause of EGPA is currently unknown, it more commonly arises in people aged around 40 years old which makes it even more rare in Emma’s case.

What does the charity Vasculitis UK do? Vasculitis UK help in a number of different ways, these include;

• Supporting those suffering from vasculitis diseases and their families by providing support and advise.
• To work with other organisations and medical professionals to improve the recognition, diagnosis and treatment of vasculitis diseases.
• To raise awareness of vasculitis disease among medical professionals and the general population.
• To enable vasculitis sufferers to contact others with vasculitis.
• To encourage and support the formation and development of local vasculitis support groups.
• To support research into the causes and effects of vasculitis and into improvements in the diagnosis of vasculitis and into treatment of people suffering from different types of vasculitis.

Thank you so much for your support and any sponsors no matter how big or small.