First of all thank you so much for visiting Em's JustGiving page for the MacMillan 4x4 Challenge.

As many of you know, in late November 2011 Em lost her 11 month battle to Triple Negative Breast Cancer. I'm not sure what I can honestly tell you about this time, without writing a novel.

However it was a story like no other. At times it could only be described as a living nightmare, however Em just continued to amaze one and all, rarely losing that gorgeous smile and her infectious upbeat manner. Rarely in life do we get to meet our 'Heroes' - I was fortunate to live with mine and finally call Her my Wife.

With her strength and determination, we all felt sure a positive outcome was due, as Em made fighting cancer look relatively effortless. People often asked did that unstoppable facade ever waver in the confines of our home, but honestly Em was simply the toughest person I have ever met, and never became a victim of her illness. However Em's illness was regrettably as tough and tenacious in fight as She was and on the 18th November - the day after we became Husband and Wife - she passed away in my arms.

It was with thanks to the MacMillan Team at Stoke Mandeville Hospital that gave us both the care and support we needed to be able to grant Em's final wishes of bringing her finally home to rest and to get married to a man who is currently in pieces writing this. This was a gift like no other and although I live a life that will forever have a huge hole in it, words cannot express the gratitude I have for this amazing organisation, who enabled a simple man to grant his dying Wife's final wishes.

I truly hope none of you reading this will ever have the need to call upon MacMillan Cancer Support's amazing level of care and support - it is a road that you never want to venture down and can never be prepared for, however you are so grateful for the company of these amazing people. 

So in an attempt to pull myself together, please let me tell you about the first of what i hope will be many events in memory of the most amazing Women ever to walk this planet - Em x. I know for a fact she'll be looking down giggling hysterically at what Keis (my brother) and I have let ourselves in for. 

As our close friends know, Keis and I like to kid ourselves with the pretence of being 'outdoor' types. We appreciate wide open spaces and a 'sense of adventure'… so like all the very best, last minute, plans - I discovered a 'charity off road event' run for Macmillan Cancer Support. I thought, it's late in the day (the event runs from the 1/2/3 March 2013) but worthy of an application attempt as it looked like a challenge. Due to the popularity of the event, we had resided to the fact that a 2014 entry would be more likely. However we recently received the green light for entry!!! So team "All The Gear, No Idea" has suddenly become a fast approaching reality. 

So what is the MacMillan 4x4 Challenge - well it's a 3 day, 72 hour (day & night) 4x4 challenge, taking us across some of the UK's more remote wilderness, where we will be problem solving, technically driving (1000 mile target) and orienteering on an epic scale. Naturally, and with 'Bendell Boy's Bravado', we thought it would be the driving equivalent of a 5K Run… but NO. Now as we manically research this event, we've realised we've entered the equivalent of a four wheel Marathon, followed by a quick jaunt through SAS Selection - so if nothing else, a trip in a Search & Rescue chopper could well be a fast approaching reality for us!

Now in all seriousness, we want this to be a genuine challenge for us, as we all know money is tight and asking people to sponsor us is a very "BIG ASK". However we also ask this of each of you for the gift that Em gave to so many - and that was Her genuine love and friendship. She fought a battle like no other, broke down so many taboos and created such wide spread awareness of cancer, that I feel it is my personal honour to continue her legacy.