It’s getting closer…

I’m totally fine with turning 40 next week.  Yup, totally cool with it.  It’s great.  No mid-life crisis here.

Anyway, as the clock is ticking (on my mortality…), it seems like a good time to put up another blog post about my upcoming Great Wall of China trip. I’m doing a final fundraising push for the Marie Curie Cancer Care Charity and so if you are reading this because of an email I’ve sent you, thanks for stopping by.  I don’t have long to get considerably closer to my goal and so sorry very much for asking, but if you are in a position to donate anything at all to this challenge, I would be eternally grateful.

It is very true that any amount that is donated to this cause is a tremendous help. Not just for me and my trek, but also for people who benefit from the excellent care that the Marie Curie Hospices provide during an incredibly difficult time.

Anyway,  do come back here in October when I’m trekking the wall and see pictures of me struggling.  Fun!

To donate, please click on the JUSTGIVING Sponsor Me button over on the top right.

Thank you!

Christian

You are so generous…

Wow, I wasn’t expecting this!

Thank you so much to the first 16 who have been so generous with their contributions so far. I’m already at 22% of my target!

This is such a great start and has given me a real boost. It’s a bit daunting at the start when there’s that big scary target to raise but having made a dent in it so soon is spurring me on.

Next task, start training. I take it there are going to be some steps going upwards on this ‘great wall’. Yikes, did I really think this through? Time to start on the quads of steel. Any suggestions?

Thanks again to the early donors, your generosity is having multiple positive impacts.

c

The fundraising begins

As Bennie would say, five, fo, tree, do, won  – BLASTOFFFFFF!

Yes, with a slightly nervous tummy, I’ve just emailed a great whack of people to ask for help with my fundraising.  Well let’s be honest, to ask for donations.

Some of you I see regularly, but some of the people I emailed I haven’t seen in a long time.  Thanks for checking this all out and I hope it’s not too rude of me to make contact to ask for your support.

As you can see, this is legit.  I am actually doing this.  In the same year that my family and I are packing up and moving house and country.  I’m bonkers.  Still, you only turn 40 once.

I’ll be posting things here as preparations continue and I’ll be blogging from the wall.  Which I’m sure is what those millions of Chinese peasants were hoping I’d do when they built the thing all those years ago…

🙂

c

Marie Curie Cancer Care – a decision is made

When going on one of these charity challenges, there are a wide array of charities to choose from. Thousands.

I knew months ago when I started seriously considering this 40th birthday trip to China that I wanted to raise money for Cancer, but apart from that, I didn’t really know which charity.

Tonight, the decision was fully made in my mind and now I am 100% committed.

Marie Curie Cancer Care, and specifically the beautiful hospice in Hampstead – I am going to raise £3,500 for you!

Someone get me a thermometer wall chart and a red pen.

The last day, the first day

Oh Cancer, what a fucking pain in the ass you are.

I’ve just read an email that was inevitable. Inevitable but unwelcome. A friend I didn’t know very well, but a lady who deeply inspired me, died this morning. Her name was Francesca Marvell.

Francesca had cancer and she was so brave with it, as so many people that I have seen deal with it are. She faced her death which so much beauty that it has inspired me to try to live more beautifully.

And with that in mind, I’m living my 40th year with a strong sense of how lucky I am and how much I want to do.

A couple of days ago, I committed to putting my money where my mouth is. I’m going to do a “charity challenge”, a 10 day trek across parts of the Great Wall of China. Before I go in October, I’m going to raise £3,500 ($5,500) for a Cancer charity. Take that Cancer!

By hook or by crook, I’m going to do it – and I may need your help.

To stay focused on what I’m doing it for, I’ve made this blog. I’m going to be talking about my preparations, my fundraising, but most importantly I want to talk about the people I know who have been affected by Cancer.