Jack's C2C Walk

Jack Rosenthal is raising money for SOMERSHAM WARD SUPPORT GROUP
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Jack's C2C Walk · 1 September 2014

Somersham Ward Support Group is the charity for the Somersham Ward and oncology department of Ipswich Hospital. Its mission is to improve the quality of life for those on the ward, both in the provision of medical equipment and added comforts. Since its foundation in 1986 it has raised over £1m.

Story

In February 2012 my 21-year-old daughter Lizzie was diagnosed with leukaemia. Printed information about the disease suggested an 80% survival rate. An unwanted gamble but reasonable odds. At that early stage I didn’t realise that every case is uniquely horrible, defiant of averaged percentages. In April the Addenbrooke’s specialist warned us a stem cell transplant would be necessary with a frank admission that in our case odds were down to 40%, 50% at best. Eventually a donor was found, the transplant worked and Lizzie is still with us thanks to that donor, modern medicine and the expertise of the NHS staff.

How do you express the gratitude you feel after an experience like that- it’s overwhelming? A small payback can be achieved by helping to support the many organizations that set out to improve the lot of cancer patients. Which is why in September/October 2014 I am attempting to walk the GR10, the long-distance footpath from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean along the Pyrenean ridge. The odds of my completing it are probably less than Lizzie’s were- it’s a two-month solo hike up and down mountains and I’m starting too late in the year. By October shelter and food facilities will have shut down and the weather will probably close in. And I will be 67. It will be tough, very tough but not as tough as the struggle undertaken by those people I saw in the cancer wards. So I intend to give it a go.

Of all the people and organisations that have helped her, Lizzie has decided that any funds I can raise through sponsorship should go to the Somersham Ward support group at the Ipswich Hospital. It was here that Lizzie received early treatment as her condition deteriorated, resulting in two visits to intensive care. She feels the Somersham ward is the frontline, a ward where the efforts of the support group to make life a little easier for patients, family and friends really makes a difference.

So please spare a thought for those unlucky enough to need to be in Somersham and if you feel able to support them please give whatever you can. I will be paying all my own expenses on the trip so every penny donated will go to the Support Group

The East Anglian Daily Times intends to report on my progress (if I can manage to operate the technology from the mountain-tops) and I hope to be able to up-date this page as I progress. Thanks for reading this. 


Jack Rosenthal

Donation summary

Total
£5,325.00
+ £1,047.12 Gift Aid
Online
£5,325.00
Offline
£0.00

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