September is Vascular Awareness Month and the Circulation Foundation is excited to announce #TheBodyWalk, a national campaign to raise awareness of vascular disease and for imperative funding.
We are hoping that everyone can get involved in helping us to raise funds, supporting patients to live their best lives whilst having to cope with serious circulatory diseases. Although these diseases affect 40% of the population, they are not well known by most people.
By centering on #TheBodyWalk for this September's Vascular Awareness Month, the Circulation Foundation is aiming to raise awareness of these diseases by asking the entire Vascular Community and beyond to join in to walk the 60,000 miles of the Arterial System. If you can walk, run, cycle, hand cycle, swim, we are asking you to ask your friends and family to sponsor you £1 for every mile you achieve.
The inspiration behind #TheBodyWalk is from Gill Holman
, a Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) sufferer.
For some reason unbeknownst to me and my doctor, in 2012 my body decided to choose Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) as its disease of choice from the array of conditions on offer that accompany the aging process. A potentially life-limiting, life-altering and life changing disease, no-one has ever heard of (except for those people who already have it).
After many surgeries on my legs and heart, I seem to be in a group of patients with PAD where restenosis (re-blocking) will occur and standard intervention treatment does not necessarily deliver the best outcome.
My family have also had to deal with my diagnosis, not just emotionally but physically, as my ability to deal with some day to day tasks became impossible for me. All my children are fit and active (despite all suffering from Crohns Disease) and it was after a conversation about how much I missed long distance walking, my daughter had the idea that she would try and raise awareness for The Circulation Foundation by organising an event. My son suggested trying to run the arterial tree, but when we discovered that it was 60,000 miles, we needed a rethink... It was then, we had the idea of a massed combined journey around the arteries with people contributing their running/walking/swimming miles to the cause, and maybe, raising much needed funding too. I was delighted because the idea was so inclusive even I could join in.
If you are taking part in #TheBodyWalk and haven't done so already, please also register for the event on the website. This will enable us to keep in touch and keep track of the miles you have achieved: www.circulationfoundation.org.uk/thebodywalk
Good luck to all those taking part!
Follow us: Twitter I Facebook I Instagram