Ellen & Alice's Icelandic Lava Trek page

Ellen Watson is raising money for Guide Dogs

Story

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We are two friends, trekking in Iceland to raise money for Guide Dogs, it will be across very tough terrain (including shifting glaciers and through ice cold streams). There is only one catch... one of us is deaf/blind. Alice, my guide, carer and best friend, is going to enable me this trip of a lifetime, allowing me the chance to see what little I can, while I can in one of the most stunning places in the world, we know it is going to be incredibly challenging but also incredibly rewarding, in the knowledge that the money we raise is going to help change others lives in the way my own has been transformed. It is with this in mind that we ask you to donate towards our challenge. Myself and Alice are contributing to the costs of the trip, meaning that most of the money made will go straight into Guide Dogs pockets. We want to raise as much money as humanly possible for Guide Dogs, please read on to find out why... When I was 16 I was diagnosed with a genetic disease called Usher Syndrome, it was responsible for my deafness from birth and would quickly become the cause of oncoming blindness. In the space of a year I lost the majority of my sight, I was registered deaf/blind and there were times when I thought my life was over. As a teenager I craved independence and my condition quickly robbed me of that. Of all the challenges blindness bought me, this was the thing that hit me hardest, I never realised just how much I had taken for granted.I first came into contact with Guide Dogs a few months after my diagnosis, I had a fantastic mobility instructor who taught me to use a cane, she ensured I maintained a level of independence and her support kept me going during my darkest days. But I craved more, I wanted to be able to step outside my front door as confident and carefree as any other person, I wanted that sense of freedom that so many take for granted.It was with that in mind that I made the decision to apply for a guide dog, before long I was accepted on the waiting list, after a very short wait I was matched with a beautiful golden retriever called Delphi with deep brown eyes and crinkly ears, I fell in love. It wasn't long before Delphi gave me my life back, she carried me on the good days and was my comfort on the bad, she gave me independence, hope and confidence, without her I wouldn't have got through and I wouldn't have gone to university. 6 months ago Delphi got ill, as her condition worsened we soon learned that her guiding career was over. It was heartbreaking, I had to come home from uni and start over, guide dogs were fantastic, they paid her vet bills and offered me continuous support. Delphi now lives in my family home as a pet, I still love her dearly and she is loving the life of leisure! In February I was matched with my fantastic cheeky chappy gorgeous Skipp, as with Delphi, I fell for him. Not long ago we finished training and I am quickly finding my feet again. With my guide dog by my side there is nothing I cannot do, and that feeling is solo empowering, in September I am going back to university, and right now I work in a mainstream school, something that I could have envisaged doing. Guide Dogs have given me my freedom (twice!), and there is no gift bigger than that. There is no way I will ever be able to repay guide dogs for the way they have changed my life, but I am hoping, by fundraising, I can show just how much their generosity means to me.

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