After her first wing walk for her 75th birthday Tricia has been very keen to do another for her 80th this year. The initial reason for choosing a wing walk was that would replicate a recurring childhood dream when she flew over her garden like a bird. It was also a tribute to her father who had been a pilot and also her daughter, Sarah, who loved a challenge. Whilst flying above the Kent countryside, Tricia was reminded of her father - flying over rail tracks which would have been a form of navigation during the war.

This was not the first attempt at a bird’s eye view. In the 1980s, Tricia signed up for a hang gliding course, but due to the British weather, she never flew higher than about 60 ft, didn’t complete the course but became very experienced at rigging and de rigging hang gliders!

In 2025 the second wing walk was looking less likely due to the diagnoses of multiple cancers and other health issues, including painful back, hip and knee. After several rounds of chemo and immunotherapy, the pain became concentrated in the whole leg and walking was virtually impossible. At this stage, Tricia became paranoid as her daughter Sarah, who had been born with Neurofibromatosis, sadly died in 1998 (age 24) as two neurofibromas, one in her thigh and one in her calf, had become malignant. By the time they were discovered and removed, the cancer had spread throughout her organs. Was this happening again? Fortunately for Tricia, a scan was arranged which showed no cancer in her leg but advanced osteoarthritis in lumbar region, hip and knee.

Tricia’s other scans showed that the cancer had been controlled as intended by the treatment. She feels very lucky to have such a dedicated team of NHS professionals, including Midhurst Palliative Care, looking after her. She was so pleased that she had been introduced to the MPC team.

Now, with the encouragement of her oncology team, Tricia feels ready to take on her second wing walk, which is scheduled for Monday 27 July, weather permitting. This time, she hopes to raise £3,000 to help ensure others living with life limiting illness can receive the same compassionate care she has experienced.