I’m Gail Muller: When I was fifteen, I was told I’d be in a wheelchair by the age of forty. But at forty-one, I embarked on one of the world’s toughest treks – The Appalachian Trail. 

My chronic illness took 15 years of my life, and the mental and physical struggle I faced nearly destroyed me. But I never gave up hope. Enduring and overcoming the adversities I faced showed me that life could be different, so now I have embraced this new understanding of myself. I’m carving out a kind of life that I love, and that I could never live before – through adventuring, hiking, writing and, I hope, inspiring others to do the same. 

September is Pain Awareness Month, and so I have launched the #UnlostWalks Charity Challenge to both create a community and also raise money for Pain UK, a charity very close to my heart, as they provide a voice for people suffering from all kinds of pain here in the UK and work to improve their quality of life.

Our aim is to collectively walk 3000 miles over the course of September to raise £1500 - so please help us reach our aim and donate here!

And if you’d love to get involved in #UnlostWalks yourself and help us achieve our goal, please follow this link for more information: https://geni.us/UnlostWalksJG

Even if movement is a challenge for you, be proud of every step you can take. Even the shortest distance will help us reach our target and show you what you can achieve.

There are millions of people all over the world suffering from many different forms of pain, whether that be mental or physical, and I all too well know the feelings of isolation and helplessness that can come with them. And so, instead of suffering alone, I want to create and build a community for anyone that has struggled with invisible pain of any sort.  It’s important that you remember – you are not alone. We are in this together.