Great Wall of China Trek

I did it - and it was AMAZING !!

2009-05-24T00:14:00.000-07:00

It was much harder than I expected, and much more treacherous! The wall you see in pictures is the bit that the tourists walk on. We mostly walked on broken bits of the wall, on paths with no sides, on overgrown paths that run alongside the wall and up through the forest.

Most of the time it was relentless. Walking, walking, up up up. I just kept on telling myself 'one step at a time'.

The second day was hot. It was over 47 degrees c and we walked to over 970 metres. It was a long, long day.

I don't seem to be able to find the words to describe the journey. I can't really do it justice. At times it was quite emotional, at times it was just fabulous.

It was quite a big group, over 40 people. Most of the people were absolutely lovely. We had a group of Scottish ladies who were such fun and loved to sing and they were great to have around.

I hooked up with Stacey and Sophie most of the time and I think I will have 2 friends for life with them. They got me though some difficult moments, especially when I allowed myself to think about why I was doing the trek.

There was another person on the trek who was raising money for Huntington's Disease. I didn't know he was going to be there, it was a complete surprise! His name is Rick. Rick and I walked and talked one day for hours. He's never talked to anyone else with HD in their family before, only to professionals. His Mum has HD and he is at risk. He is an absolutely lovely, lovely guy and I'm so pleased he was with us. Meeting him was one of the highlights of the trip.

My body held out well and my training held me in good stead. Although one evening my legs and hips were killing me. It really worried me but Laura (a physiotherapist who was on the trek raising money) did her magic on my legs and hips after dinner. What she did was amazing, I had no problems after that at all, thank god!

Some people had trouble with vertigo on the wall. The height and narrowness of some of the paths made them freeze with fear. I was fine, but I can understand why they felt that way. There were times when I was a bit unsure myself. You just had to keep looking at your feet all the time.

Three times someone fell completely off the path. But there are so many trees that you wouldn't actually be able to fall too far, but you certainly could do yourself some serious damage.

The whole journey, from the start of the fundraising to the end of the trek, has been such an amazing experience for me and I have been overwhelmed by everyone's support.

Please look at my photos
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=113101&id=564591799&l=0e58d9f8db

"All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveller is unaware"

2009-05-08T14:47:00.000-07:00

Thank you Richard

This is it !!!!!!

2009-05-08T14:22:00.000-07:00

The night before I go!

Drinking champagne with one of my bestest mates Sonya. Probably not the wisest thing to do, but hey, what the heck!

Just about packed and ready to go.

Lots of good luck cards, texts and emails, which I am truly grateful for.

Been feeling the stress today. I hate packing.

But so excited.

Will update my blog when I get back.

Thanks to everyone who has supported me, in whatever way.

It's been an amazing journey already and it's not over yet!

5 days to go and £10,300 raised.

2009-05-04T00:33:00.000-07:00

I did my last training walk yesterday - a 4 hour as I'm now winding down.

I met a lady who's doing the walk in China with us - Anji. She came and walked with me and Sandra (my friend who is doing a trek in Cuba for the HDA).

Anji told me that we will sometimes be sleeping in tents! I just hope she is winding me up and I've emailed the organisers to find out.

I'm REALLY excited now and can't wait for the challenge.

I still have bits and pieces to sort out but have a few days before I go to do that.

Jane and Steve are taking me to the airport and Gill and David are picking me up.

Bring it on !!!!!!

Under 2 weeks to go.......

2009-04-28T12:48:00.000-07:00

It was a weekend of walking, what a suprise !

On Saturday my brother Steve and his partner Jane walked with me for about 3 and a half hours. We explored the Chislehurst countryside and Scadbury Park and had lunch in Pizza Express. I am eating for England at the moment - must be all the walking I'm doing. I had a gorgeous big toffee fudge Sundy and enjoyed every mouthful without feeling bad about it....mmmmmmmmmmmm lovely!
On Sunday I walked for SEVEN HOURS! I walked for 4 hours to and around High Elms. The carpets of bluebells are just wonderful at the moment. I saw little chicks on the pond in High Elms, so cute!

I came home for lunch, a shower and got changed. I even put my shorts on as the weather was so glorious.

After an hours break, I walked to Petts Wood and met my friend Kul. He walked with me for a while in Petts Wood and then I walked some more on my own and walked home.

Needless to say, after 7 hours walking I was pretty tired. I had a bath and went to my Friend Gills. Gill had cooked a wonderful roast dinner and her hubby, who is a podiatrist, gave me a much-needed foot massage.

I came home and slept like a log. Yesterday (Monday) I had an hours leg and back massage and I must admit I just wanted to curl up in bed afterwards, but I had to work.

A bit achy, but all in all doing well. I went to the gym this morning (Tuesday) and am starting to wind down a bit now.

Ashlee has just come back and has told me it was quite wet some days and that the food is not good. She also said, forget about the distance - it's the ups and downs that really get you! Good job I've been doing the stepper at the gym but I'm wondering now if I should have done more lunges etc.

Oh yes, and I caught my little toe the other day and it's making my foot hurt. Can't find my arnica cream anywhere! Hope it heals quickly.

3 weeks to go !

2009-04-20T03:29:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I did seven hours of walking! I went out at 6.45am and did a couple of hours before meeting up with Stuart, Gazza and Tracey for a 3 hour hike to the pub in Knockholt.

We were all really hungry and had much needed roast dinners and puddings!

All the bluebells were out in the woods, it was absolutely lovely!Jane and Natalie met me at the pub and we walked for another two hours in the afternoon.

Needless to say I was tired last night, so I had a nice soak in the bath and curled up on the sofa with a video.

I've started taking my suppliments to boost my immune system, liver and my intestinal flora. I'm off the booze too!

Under 4 weeks to go ..........

2009-04-14T13:21:00.000-07:00

....... and sorting out the last bits and bobs.

I ordered my currency today - Chinese Yuan.
and I went back on e-bay and ordered a battery charger for my i-pod and a nice pink leather case for it.

I went to Argos and got myself a cheap sports watch to take with me. I'm slowly but surely getting it all together now.

£10k WITHOUT giftaid !!!!!

2009-04-14T12:56:00.000-07:00

It's £10,000 PLUS whatever gift aid they get. The justgiving site shows £1,350 giftaid and I reckon the HDA will get a fair chunk of that. I'll try to find out from them exactly how much they have received.

This Friday (Easter Bank Holiday) I went over to Hertfordshire and walked with my friends Jenn and Malc. I met Jenn through the HDA years and years ago (more than I'd like to admit!) but we have become such good friends over the years that we almost forget how we know each other sometimes!
We walked for 5 and a half hours and had lunch in Standon - the day before they found the latest 'body part' in Standon. Glad it wasn't us who found it!
Apart from getting a blister, and it pouring with rain all the way back from the pub, it was a really good day!
I tried out my new camera too, and I'm really pleased with it. It's an Olympus SP-55OUZ Digital Camera with 18x Optical Zoom: I got it under half price on e-bay!
I should get some great pictures with it!

It's been a weekend of walking!!

2009-04-06T02:06:00.001-07:00

On Saturday I walked for 5 hours with a lovly lady called Sandra, who is training for a trek in Cuba, also raising money for HD. We started at Otford and walked up, up, up - my poor ol' legs! But it was worth it, because the scenery was absolutely wonderful. We walked to Shoreham, which was lovely, and the sun came out! I think that was the best walk I've done so far because of the scenery and the hills and the company of course!

On Sunday I walked again, for 5 1/2 hours, this time on my own. I meet a wonderful couple who walked with me for about an hour around Downe, and the man said he'd sponsor me!! So I look forward to getting a cheque from him, I hope he remembers :-))

Training and donations

2009-04-03T00:37:00.000-07:00

On Saturday I went out walking with my friend Owen. We only meant to do 5 hours but mis-timed it and ended up doing 6 hours!

We walked to Cudham and back. The weather was very random; one minute it was sunny, the next windy, the next it was chucking down hailstones that were stinging our faces.

I really enjoyed the walk and Owen was great company. We walked really fast in the last hour as I had to get home for a client. I made it with only 10 minutes to spare!

Carolyn has been giving my legs a really good massage on a regular basis, and I'm so grateful to her for that.

I had a couple of donations as a result of my article in The Bromley Borough News so I'm really pleased about that. It also raises awareness too. The donations were from people who know or knew someone with HD.

This Saturday I'm walking with a lady who is training for a trek in Cuba in October, raising money for the HDA. She did the China Trek in 2002 so we'll have a lot to talk about. Her sister and nephew have HD.

Thank you for Visiting My Blog

2009-03-25T08:03:00.000-07:00

I created this Blog so that you can keep up-to-date with my fundraising and training progress. Those who have sponsored me will want to know that I am working hard for the money, I'm sure!

This may be your first visit to my Blog, due to the article in the Bromley Borough News, so I have done a quick post for you to get up-to-date without having to read the whole Blog.

I hope you find it interesting, and I hope you will feel the desire to sponsor me !!!

The Story so Far:
August 08
Initial registration for the Great Wall of China Trek (OMG what have I done!)

Aug/Sept/October 08
I wrote lots of begging letters to get auction and raffle prizes.
Created Blog and justgiving site and sent out lots of emails to everyone I know - EVERYONE !!!!

I was absolutely amazed and wonderfully surprised at the response I got. Please visit my jutgiving site and read the comments.

My friends and clients forwarded my email onto their friends and families and I started to get donations from people I didn't even know, or who had met me only once or twice.

I told everyone I met about my trek, I had no shame! It's such a great opportunity to raise as much as I can by doing this trek that I wasn't going to pass up any chance of the smallest donation. The charity really needs it.

I've even had donations adding up to over a thousand pounds from a man I have only met twice, a few years ago! Thank you Francois, you are truly an angel!

I had amazing donations from Welling and Farnborough Round Table, and from Rothschild.

15th November 08
Charity Party at The Warren Hayes - Tickets sold out in 3 weeks !!!!
Many people donated raffle prizes, including Green & Blacks who donated a hamper full of wonderful chocolates.... won by Lindsey Brown who kindly saved me the white chocolate bar... mmmmmmmm yum yum

One of my clients, Helen, is a croupier and she offered to run a blackjack table at the party. Then the very next day someone offered to lend me a blackjack table!

Professional Projects, donated a chocolate fountain business for the evening
http://www.the-chocolate-fountain.co.uk/promotions/promotions.html

My friend Stuart also did a fabulous job with the auction, helping to raise £2,870

Auction items I had donated consisted of:
- 2 Golf days
- A website designed and hosted for a year
- A holiday apartment for a week in Minis Bay
- A guitar lesson
- A signed and framed Millwall Shirt
- A tour of Wandsworth Prison
- A spa day at Rowhill Grange for two
- Photography vouchers
- A box at Old Trafford for 8 people, with lunch
- 5 Sessions of acupuncture
- Coral betting vouchers
- A quad bike session
- 3 tickets for Arsenal v West Ham

The party, with the ticket sales, auction, black jack table, chocolate fountain and raffle raised a grand total of £4,756 !

I held a boot sale which raised another £100 and lots of people gave me stuff for that.

I eventually started training, and joined the gym and you can see how I've been getting on by reading the posts below. I had a slight set-back with a pulled hamstring, but am back on track now. Kelly from DK Health and Fitness is donating some personal training and pushing me through my sessions there twice a week. http://www.dkhealthandfitness.co.uk/

A Big THANK YOU to everyone who has helped in any way! Not forgetting Luke at the Bromley Borough News of course!

My Itinarary

2009-03-24T11:58:00.000-07:00

Introduction
Stretching 6000km in a dotted line across China, the Great Wall was begun in the 5th Century BC. As it snakes across the mountains it conjures up a sense of history which is difficult to grasp until you have had the opportunity to experience it.

Our trek is very varied, as we pass through woodland and terraced farmland, and follow the contours of the beautiful hills and mountains in remote areas north of Beijing. We follow old sections of the Great Wall, as well as restored sections with smooth flagstones and lots of steps!

This challenge is physically demanding and offers fabulous scenery and a fascinating insight into a rich culture and history.

Itinerary
Day 1:
Depart London Heathrow for Beijing.

Day 2: Beijing
Arrive Beijing during the morning, where depending on our arrival time we may be able to take a city tour and visit the fabulous Forbidden City. On arrival at our city hotel we can then freshen up and relax! There will be a full trip briefing in the evening.

Day 3: Beijing - Huangyaguan
We transfer this morning from the busy streets of Beijing, driving northwest into the hills above Huangyaguan (3.5-4.5 hours). Huangyaguan is situated in a beautiful valley in the heart of the Yanshan Mountains. After a scenic drive through a landscape of hills and lakes, we arrive at our village and see the Great Wall for the first time, as it snakes along the ridgeline of the mountains. After a good traditional lunch we start our trek! The Wall is well renovated here and it disappears into the horizon in both directions. After some steep step sections, which give us a good inkling of what lies ahead, we walk predominantly downhill until we reach the small town of Huangyaguan. Here the wall crosses the road that leads to our nearby accommodation.

Day 4: Huangyaguan – Mountain Village
Our day's walk begins where we left the Wall yesterday, and we head up the steep renovated steps towards what appears to be a sheer cliff face. This is where we encounter ‘Heavens Ladder', a steep climb of over 200 steps leading us up the cliff face. There are fabulous views from the top, and once we have caught our breath the path continues gradually on steep tracks through forest, up to the top of the ridge. Once again we join the old Wall, and follow it along the contours of the mountain until we clamber down into the valley below. We bed down in the houses of a local village, a real cultural experience.
Approx 7 hours walking

Heaven's Ladder

Day 5: Village – Jinshanlin
Waving goodbye to our hospitable hosts, we head up through the farming terraces immediately behind the village. The path is steep, and the terraces soon give way to rocky hillsides scattered with scrub. Eventually we re-join the Wall, which is un-restored and crumbling so we follow a path which takes us alongside it, with fabulous views along the ridgeline to the day's highest point. We then drop down the hillside and make our way on winding tracks through trees back into the valley, where farmers grow maize, and walnut and fruit trees. Back at the village, we walk along the village road, enjoying the scenes of rural life, until reaching the main road and our waiting transport. Our drive through the mountains to Jinshanlin (3-4 hours) is very scenic.

Day 6: Gubeiko – Jinshanlin
A quick 20-minute hop in the bus takes us to our start point just outside the village of Gubeiko. We walk through the village and farmland until our path takes us alongside an un-restored yet well-preserved section of the Wall. This part appears to be of almost brick-like construction and dates back to the Qing Dynasty, the last dynasty to rule over this vast land. We follow a track down into the valley in order to skirt a Chinese military post and follow dirt paths through trees and undergrowth before rejoining the Wall. There are some steep sections and we help each other out if need be. Stunning views of the Great Wall snaking along the hilltops keep us going whenever we find it tough! The final stretch to Jinshanlin is on restored Wall with lots of steps. A short walk through the village and small shops takes us to our simple accommodation.
Approx 7 – 8 hours walking

Day 7: Jinshanlin – Simatei
Today's stunning walk on this largely restored section of the Wall takes us from Jinshanlin to Simatei. Starting where we left off yesterday, we head up the carefully restored steps which take us into the mountains one final time. There are a few sections on older bricks and some dirt tracks, but for most of today we walk on good flagstones. The scenery is superb with rolling purple hills fading into the distance. We leave the Great Wall at Simatei, enjoying the view as it clings precariously to the rock face opposite, dotted with many watchtowers; classic ‘scales on a dragon's back' scenery. We cross a pedestrian bridge and finish the day with the opportunity to zip slide (approx 35 yuan) across the lake and then catch a small boat ride back across to our accommodation. If you prefer not to zip slide it is an easy 30 minute walk down.
Approx 6 hours walking

Day 8: Simatei – Mutianyu
Our day starts with a bus transfer (approx 3 hrs) from our hotel at Simatei to Mutianyu Great Wall. Our trek itself starts with a brief walk through a friendly village before we climb for 1-2 hours up the hillside, where we may see villagers gathering firewood. We can see the Wall high on the ridge ahead of us, and slowly wind our way up to it. Once more our efforts are rewarded by stunning views as the Wall disappears from view in both directions and this marks a great end to our trek. We start our final descent to our hotel at Mutianyu, not missing the opportunity to do some haggling in the markets before you reach the hotel, so carry some money with you for this! We mark the evening with another fine feast and a few celebratory drinks in the bar.

Day 9: Return to Beijing
We load up the bus and transfer to Beijing, the nation's capital and home to over 13 million people. Our senses will be unprepared as we enter Beijing and experience its frenetic energy, quite a contrast after the natural scenery and remote tranquillity of the past few days. We have an opportunity to visit the silk factory en-route and after checking into our hotel the afternoon is free for more shopping or a relaxing foot massage before preparing for an evening celebration to mark our achievement.

Day 10:
I've booked a 5 day extension to Xian to visit the Teracotta Army

Blimey, I thought I was taking on a challenge...

2009-03-23T12:38:00.000-07:00

I have just massaged a client who is off to the Sahara on Thursday to run an endurance race across the Desert for charity!

Check this out:

Marathon des Sables
A 6 day / 151 mile endurance race across the Sahara Desert in Morocco

It's equivalent to 5 1/2 regular marathons. He will have to carry everything he needs on his back (food, clothes, medical kit, sleeping bag etc).

He has to prepare all his own food throughout the race and he will experience mid-day temperatures of up to 120°F, of running or walking on uneven rocky, stony ground as well as 15 - 20% of the distance being in sand dunes.

On the 4th day, he will set off across the barren wilderness to complete a 45 - 50 mile stage. Few people complete this before dark that evening and some will not come in till after dark the next night. This is followed by the 42km Marathon stage!!

They say its tough - Tough! Blimey, I'd say he's crazy!

If you don't want to sponsor me, I think he's well worthy of some sponsorship!!

Andy Humphreys, runner 768
http://www.facingafrica.org/FA08/content/site/en/pages/fundraisers/default.asp
http://www.facingafrica.org/FA08/content/site/en/pages/mds/default.asp

Front Page News

2009-03-23T12:35:00.000-07:00

The local newspaper, Bromley Borough News, is putting me on the front page this week, so I'm hoping that some more people will make donations, especially if they know of the disease themselves. Every pound helps and every pound is much appreciated. Because of this press coverage, I have a new target of £15,000 - you never know, it may just happen !

So, a big THANK YOU to Biggin Hill News Ltd who own the paper and to Luke for editing the article for me and putting me on the front page. [I don't know you, but I think I love you !!! lol]

Training going well, off to the gym in the morning.

£9,800 plus gift aid

2009-03-23T09:06:00.000-07:00

I've had a few more donations and I'd really love to reach £15k (with gift aid being an added extra of course!).

I'm really not sure I have the time to organise a pub crawl now, as the trek is only 7 weeks away and work is busy on top of all the training I have to do!

I did a 4 hour walk on Saturday and I went to the Chinese Embassy to get my Visa this morning. I thought I could wait for it, but I have to go back another day to pick it up.

My kit is coming together. Today I bought some treking trousers that zip off into shorts and some hiking socks. I don't know about raising money and awareness, this trip is costing me a fortune already !!!!! lol

But it's all SO WORTH IT.

In the words of Frankie Beverly, I'm Back in Stride Again !!

2009-03-17T11:27:00.000-07:00

OK, not quite back on track yet but definitely back in stride!

Carolyn has done some amazing work on my hamstrings and has given me strict instructions on moving forward.

So it's 'warm up (jogging on the spot), stretch (properly!), walk, stretch (properly) and ice (i've got a spray so I don't have to sit for ages with an ice pack on, it's great)!

I did a 2 hour walk at the weekend instead of my scheduled 4 hours (I don't want to push my luck) and all was fine.

I've been to the gym today and Kelly kept me company as I did an hour's workout on treadmill and cross-trainer. Followed by a bloody good STREEEEEEETCH !!!

I feel positive and my spirits are high.

Long may it continue.........

Focus renewed

2009-03-13T04:04:00.001-07:00

My enthusiasm for the trek took a tumble, because I was worried about my leg. I haven't been able to train and it was getting me down. I've never done any sports before so I don't know about injuries, and although I had some good advice, I didn't really know which way to turn.

I have been resting it but it doesn't seem to be feeling any better. I miss my walking. This weekend I was due to do a four hour walk on Saturday AND Sunday.
So this morning I rang Carolyn who does sports massage and she kindly fitted me in for 20 minutes. She did some deep work and told me what to do. I bought a freeze spray and I'm just going to go out for a short walk on the flat to keep the muscle working. Then I'm gonna do a bit of 'on the spot' jogging to warm it up from the inside and give it a bit of a stretch!

And tomorrow morning I'm going back to Carolyn at 9am for a bit more massage work.

I'm gonna get back on track...... !!!!!

Another £20

2009-03-12T00:57:00.000-07:00

Fay Wallis, from Contented Angels no longer teaches baby massage and she kindly passes her leads onto me. I give her £5 per person I teach as a thank you.

Fay kindly donated the commission from my current course to Huntington's Disease. I told the ladies at baby massage guess what one of them said? "My brother has Huntington's Disease" !!

This lady has had the test and hasn't got the gene, thank goodness. Nor has her sister. But her brother has it and he's in New Zealand.

So we all talked about it and the ladies all said that they were pleased that their five pounds had gone to the charity. How wonderful! x

Training on hold........

2009-03-11T06:01:00.000-07:00

I've pulled a hamstring, so training is on hold for a week or two. I'm really fed up about that, I was doing so well, and also really enjoying it!

Ashlee (the young lady who is also doing China for HD) did another pub crawl on Saturday and raised over a grand! Her and her mates were selling lap dances for £20 and kisses for a tenna! How funny :-)

Fingers crossed I'll be back on course soon.

Debs x

Pub Crawl

2009-03-01T13:21:00.000-08:00

There is a young lady who is doing the same Great Wall of China trek for the same reason as me, only sadly a month earlier. She's only 21 and she has been tested positive for the HD gene, which means that she will get the illness (her mum has it).

That's the bad news. The good news is that her boss has donated FIVE GRAND to the HDA - how amazing is that!!!!!

Also, she did a pub crawl to collect money from the drinkers and it raised £920 in one evening. And not only that, it must have raised a lot of awareness too!

So here's what I'm thinking..... who wants to do a fundraising pub crawl with me and Jane ???????????????

x

Training Update

2009-03-01T10:06:00.000-08:00

I'm still very enthusiastic about the training. Unfortunately I had a rotten cold a few weeks ago which meant that I couldn't go to the gym. However, I did still do a gentle walk at the weekend.

I've been really pleased to have had some walking buddies. The week after Stuart walked with me in the snow, I was joined by the lovely Catherine who walked to Downe with me. We met Stuart and his Mum for lunch in the pub and then we walked back again. Catherine was wonderful company and the 3 hours went really quickly.

Last weekend I had to walk Saturday AND Sunday. After a boozy night on Friday, Angie and I walked for 3 hours and I think it did us good! We were excited to see a herd of about 30 deer, which really made our day, and it was so lovely to have quality time with my friend Angie. We always have SO much to talk about!

Then on Sunday Mark joined me for the walk. We met up with some friends for lunch in Halsted and then finished our walk before driving home.

I've pulled my hamstring, so I'm not very happy about that. Kelly at the gym suggested I rest it instead of working out on Thursday and I had it massaged on Friday. It still didn't feel quite right though.

Today I did a four hour walk and got a bit confused with the map-reading. I'm hopeless at reading maps, and I have NO sense of direction which doesn't help. I walked through Chelsfield and across the fields to ...... oh I don't know, some farmland with woods and fields and things!

I quite enjoyed it, although I only just about managed 4 hours. I'm a bit worried about my leg. The last 30 minutes was a real struggle and I was pleased to get home. I stretched and had a hot soak in the bath.

Thank you to all my walking buddies - you are making my challenge more interesting and fun!

Hope my leg recovers soon x

Walking Schedule

2009-02-12T12:42:00.000-08:00

I've been looking at my training schedule, and it's a bit scarey to say the least!

Apart from the gym sessions, my My weekend walking schedule is:

Sunday 22nd Feb - 3 hours

Sunday 1st March - 4 hours

Sunday 8th March - 4 hours

Saturday 14th March - 4 hours

Sunday 15th March - 4 hours (I need to go out early cos I have a family get together pm)

Saturday 21st or Sundy 22nd March - 6 hours

Sunday 29th March - 6 hours

Saturday 4th AND Sunday 5th April - 6 hours (weekend away? Lake District?)

Saturday OR Sunday 12th/13th April - 8 hours

Saturday OR Sunday 18th/19th April - 8 hours

Saturday AND Sunday 25th/26th April - 8 hours (weekend away? Lake District?)

If anyone wants to join me, please let me know, I'm in need of the company x

The money's still trickling in....

2009-02-11T02:54:00.000-08:00

Just when I think the final total is in, someone else donates! I met a guy at a party on Sunday - a friend of a friend. I told him what I was doing and invited him to sponsor me, and he's put another 30 quid on! People are so kind and generous, and WONDERFULL !!!!

My friend Catherine is coming walking with me this Sunday so I'll have company again. (I feel another pub lunch coming on........)

Hips don't lie

2009-02-09T06:37:00.000-08:00

Yesterday (Sunday 8th Feb) I set off at 8.30 am to do my scheduled 3 hour walk. Then my friend Stuart text me to say he'd be over at 10 to walk with me. So I did an hour and then went home to meet him. The revised plan was to walk another 2 hours together. I must say, it was wonderful to have some company for a change!

We walked from my house in Orpington, to Charles Darwin's house, in Downe. I must admit we took a detour cos the signs ran out, but luckily we came across people in the middle of a snowy field who knew we were going in the wrong direction! So, we turned left at the edge of the field and was back on track!

After 2 hours walking we had a WONDERFUL pub lunch of game pie (pheasant, boar, venison and rabbit) it was absolutely delicious!

Then we walked home a different way and that was another hour and a half! So all in all, I did 4 and a half hours walking yesterday! No wonder my legs ached and my hip hurt! But I had a lovely soak in the bath later on with pine oil and feel much better today!

Back to the gym tomorrow morning for more .......

Walking in the snow

2009-02-05T05:18:00.000-08:00

This week the gym isn't open early because of the snow so I have been out walking instead. This morning I put on my ski trousers and thermals and went out at 7.30am in the snow and ice! If that's not dedication, what is?

Auction Item - Quadbiking Day Out

2009-02-05T05:13:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Dave from the Round Table, and Kenny from my West Coast Swing class, we had a great day out quadbiking. Dave donated it for auction and Kenny bought it. Kenny kindly invited us to the event and we had great fun, with lunch ih the pub afterwards. All was going really well. We had bets on races and Gazza won. He donated his £35 winnings to a children's charity - good man! We'd just about finished when Kenny and Dave decided they wanted one more lap and raced around to the finishing line, where Kenny promptly came off the bike and was winded. He's battered and bruised, and so is Dave's Quad Bike! Luckily we don't think he's broken a rib but he didn't come to dancing the day after as he's aching all over. Get better soon Kenny !

Singing in the rain

2009-01-25T10:40:00.000-08:00

Today I did a 2-and-a-half hour walk in the rain. My waterproofs kept me dry and I had my i-pod for company. I sang along most of the time and quite enjoyed it. I certainly wouldn't have gone walking in the rain if it wasn't for the trek, I tell you!

I walked to the Cotswolds outdoor shop at Newgent Retail Park and got some stuff for my trek. Thermals, a lightweight fleece and some waterproofing for my boots.

When I came home, I did some stretches and had a soak in the bath. My hips and legs were aching. I hope my body gets more used to this exercising lark!

Training

2009-01-24T09:39:00.001-08:00

Training is now well underway and I'm really lucky to have Kelly helping me at the Gym. I'm going twice a week and walking at the weekends. The weekend walks start at 2-hour walks and increase to 8 hour walks. Don't think I'm gonna have much of a life for a while!

OMG - I've reached the £10k milestone (with giftaid)!

2009-01-12T11:09:00.001-08:00

[Review - I THINK I've reached the £10,000 milestone, with giftaid. No-one can actually tell me how much gift aid is included so far as justgiving take a bit out of it for their services and for the credit card transactions. But I reckon it's got to be £10k, especially as I have had a few other donations since then]

Once again thanks to Francois, who - after donating his second £100 - decided that he may as well go the whole hog and get me to the £10k mark by making another donation of nine hundred and thrity seven pounds !!!!!

I had to phone him, an email wasn't good enough. I was so excited that he told me to slow down, his English is good but he couldn't understand what I was saying!

Francois told me that he is happy to help a worthy cause. Well, as you can imagine, I am over the moon.

Julie, a friend and a client of mine, has lent me her photos to look at. She did the Great Wall of China Trek a few years back on her sisters behalf.

Another £100

2009-01-05T01:01:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Francois, a guy from Richard's car club who has already donated 100 quid. Thanks Francois, you are a star !! The image here doesn't seem to show up to date figures, but you can still donate by clicking on the orange 'donate' button x

£9,063.85 and counting......

2009-01-04T13:14:00.000-08:00

N M Rothshcild & Sons Limited
This week I recieved an unexpected donation of £500 from Rothschild, thanks to Julian Connolly. Julian is the son of a client of mine, Brenda. Brenda has already 'encouraged' her 3 boys to make donations as well as her sister in America and also gave me raffle items and bootsale items. Brenda's daughter-in-law also gave me items for the bootsale so this post is dedicated to BRENDA CONNOLLY and her wonderful family.

I also received a cheque from Stuart, from the Welling Round Table. Their donation of £100 is more than generous and just as unexpected as they knew that Farnborough Round Table had already donated. Wow, what a nice bunch of guys they are!

I did my second training session with Kelly on Thursday and my thighs had seized up by Friday. More stretching required, me thinks. Today was my day for walking, and I spent 4 hours walking around Bluewater, so I guess that counts ay?

£8,463.85 and counging....

2008-12-29T05:09:00.000-08:00

I have had an email from Huntington's Disease Association, and they have confirmed that the total they have received from me is now £8,463.85 including gift aid! Stuart gave me a cheque from the Round Table for £100 and that's not included.

I have been to the gym this morning for my first session of training. My friend Kelly has kindly offered to give me some personal training and with her behind me, I can't fail to get into shape! I climbed 63 levels of the Eiffel Tower and am aiming for the full 75 very soon. Thanks Kels x

http://www.dkhealthandfitness.co.uk/
MEMBERSHIP ONLY £31 A MONTH ON STANDING ORDER!!!
CLASSES INCLUDED
NO PEAK/OFF-PEAK RESTRICTIONS
NO SUFFOCATING CONTRACTS
CORPORATE/GROUP DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE
FREE PARKING
FITNESS AND BOXING FACILITIES
RUNNING CLUB
FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE TO WORK OUT IN!
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK
Call them now to join on 01689 891030

Amount raised so far is £7,385 ......

2008-12-15T09:53:00.000-08:00

.... and I was wondering how I was going to raise £3,000 ! It just goes to show you what can be done if you just believe - well, you DO need to do some work as well :-)

The Party - We Had A Great Night !

2008-12-15T09:42:00.000-08:00

To view more photos go to

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=71106&l=88e0d&id=564591799

We had a great evening, with a really good turnout. Richard did a great job with the music, Stuart was an outstanding auctioneer and Helen managed to squeeze nearly £300 out of the guys at the blackjack table.
I can't believe how much we raised at the party! The ticket sales raised £1,350; the raffle raised £266; and the auction a whopping £2,870! Unfortunately we had to pay 50 quid for having the chocolate fountain so we didn't make much on that, but it looked and tasted fabulous!

A BIG THANKS to everyone who contributed in any way.

Things are hotting up!

2008-11-03T04:22:00.000-08:00

Training: I actually did some training, and about time too! On Friday I went for a 4 hour cross-country walk with my friend Catherine and her friend Chris. My brothers friend Jane donated her walking boots to me so I tried them out and they fit me a treat. It's a start.

Party: I have a fabulous dress for the party and managed to get some shoes on Sunday and some jewelery this morning. So I'm all set to razzle dazzle em! I'm so excited about the party - I think it's gonna be great. We have a blackjack table, a chocolate fountain and Stuart is running the auction for me.

Donations: I've had 5 more donations on the website this week, some from people I don't know. And I've had TWO x £100 donations from people from The Barcetta car club. Richard Keogh sent the email on to them and I'm gobsmacked at their generosity!

Auction: I have the tickets for Old Trafford! It's the start auction item and it's worth £2,500. I was so excited when he dropped them off to me on Saturday. If anyone knows any Man U fans, tell them to contact me asap! I'm taking bids on the book before-hand.

I also have some other great items, so let me know if you'd like an auction brochure.

Just two weeks to go til the party, how exciting !!!!!

Over £3,000 already!

2008-10-16T00:36:00.000-07:00

With the donations on www.justgiving.com/deborahgoodman, the offline donations and the proceeds from the bootsale, I'm up to £2,290. I now have £770 from party ticket sales, so that makes a total of £3,060 !!!!!

I still have some money to come in from ticket sales and also the auction, so I'm well on my way to my next target of £5,000.

Wow - Amazing!

Woody Guthrie and English Singer/songwriter Billy Bragg

2008-10-15T01:12:00.000-07:00

American folk singer Woody Guthrie inherited the Huntington's gene from his mother who was institutionalised when he was young and both Woody and his mother died from Huntington's Disease.
In the early 1990s, Nora Guthrie, daughter of Woody Guthrie, saw Billy in concert in the States and added him to her shortlist of musicians to write new music to her late father’s undiscovered lyrics.

See Billy's website. http://www.billybragg.co.uk/

Billy Braggs office have kindly agreed to send me a signed book and photograph of the singer/songwriter and political activist for my auction.

Woody Guthrie wrote these lyrics about his mother.

I Hear You Sing Again
If I could only hear my mother sing again
If I could close my eyes and hear your voice as then
All the friends and family
would sing along with me,
and set your spirit free

In my heart I hear you sing again
Every note as natural as then
and when I sing those songs
for family and friends,
in my heart I hear you sing again

I know the troubled times that turned your hair to grey
And all the tears and sorrows followed to your grave
But deep within the heart of hunger,
there were always melodies
passed from you and me

In my heart I hear you sing again
Every note as natural as then
and when I sing those songs
for family and friends,
in my heart I hear you sing again

And it's a long, long road I've come
since my mother's songs were heard
But the child I can't outrun
still hangs on every word

In my heart I hear you sing again
Every note as natural as then
and when I sing those songs
for family and friends,
In my heart I hear you sing again
In my heart I hear your voice again

Woody and Huntington's Disease
http://www.woodyguthrie.org/biography/biography8.htm

A tour of Wandsworth Prison

2008-10-05T07:06:00.000-07:00

One of the fabulous items for Auction is A Tour of Wandsworth Prison. The tour is for 6 people and has been donated by Stuart.

Wandsworth is a large prison in South West London, with a separate vulnerable prisoner unit. It is currently able to hold 1416 prisoners and is the largest prison in London. Alongside Liverpool, which is of similar size, it is one of the largest prisons in Western Europe.

The prison was built in 1851, and the residential areas remain in the original buildings. There has been extensive refurbishment and modernisation of the wings, including in-cell sanitation, privacy screens for cells occupied by more than one prisoner and the more recent installation of in-cell electricity.

Raffle Prizes Please ??

2008-10-05T06:38:00.000-07:00

My Brother Steve has paid for the hire of The Warren as his donation! How very generous of him - thanks Steve!

I have picked up the BlackJack table and chips from Adam, it's very impressive. I felt the least I could do was to give him a free massage for letting us borrow it!

So far, with donations, boot sale and party ticket sales the total raised is £2,380. I still have more money to come in from the sale of tickets, so that total will definately go up soon. As mentioned before, they have all sold, and I could have sold many more. Sorry to the people who wanted tickets and are dissapointed :-(

I'm still looking for raffle prizes - if anyone has anything great they would like to donate, let me know!

I'm still writing letters to get more raffle prizes but have only had one 'bite' from Green and Blacks. I have a few bottles of wine and £100 of Coral Vouchers to go in as well so far, plus a meal voucher for GI's Italian Restaurant in West Wickam.

I have some books promised and a bottle of Spirits (I think he said Gin) from Peter, one of my clients.

It's a sell out !

2008-09-30T07:22:00.001-07:00

The party tickets have all gone! It's a sell out in just 3 weeks !!

Bootsale

2008-09-28T12:43:00.000-07:00

Carole kindly helped me with the boot sale this morning and we made another £115 towards the target.

I set my alarm wrong this morning and I was just getting up at 6.45 when Carole was knocking at the door! Ooops. It all went well once we got there though and it was a beautiful day. We were lucky to have a lovely spot facing the sunshine.

I picked up the blackjack table this afternoon from Adam and his parents not only bought 30 tickets for the party, but also gave me a £200 donation! Amazing, it's the first time I've ever met them! A big thanks to the family and to Angie, Richard's friend, who organised it all! AWESOME !!!!

The party tickets are flying and I've only got about 20 left. They will soon go because I still have a list of people who say they want to come.

It's all so unbelievable.

On another note, I had a client on Friday who came to me for Reflexology because she has anxiety and it turns out that her brother has been diagnosed with Huntington's Disease. She told me that no-one has ever heard of it. They didn't know their Dad had it because he died of Cancer. She was nothing short of GOBSMACKED when I told her about my family. She has never met anyone else who's had first-hand experience of it and I have put her in touch with the HDA. She had told me that I am a lifeline for her and I'm just glad the Association exists and that she and her family can now get the support they desperately need. I thank the universe for bringing her to me:-)

Want to make an online donation?

2008-09-28T11:54:00.000-07:00

Auction

2008-09-26T01:12:00.000-07:00

It looks like an auction will definitely go ahead! The guys at Farnborough Round Table have promised to donate a quadbike session, a box at Old Trafford, a week in an apartment in a little bay by Herne Bay and a Signed Millwall Football Shirt which the guy is going to have framed for me! Also, a donation of £500! I can't believe the generosity and kindness of the group. It's truly amazing and I'm totally overwhelmed.

I've also had a £200 donation from someone I don't even know! It's all going so well.

I sold 10 more tickets to the party last night too.

I've written to more companies in the hope of getting some more raffle prizes.

A client of mine, Brenda, has given me some more bootsale stuff and her daughter-in-law is clearing some stuff out for me on Saturday.

Training : Well, not much going on in that department at the moment but plenty of time for that later.

Tickets for The Party are flying off the shelf !

2008-09-24T03:17:00.000-07:00

I've had a few rejection letters re. raffle prizes and auction items but I keep on trying and am sending out letters each day.

My friend Stuart has amazingly bagged me a Spa day at Rowhill Grange!www.rowhillgrange.com and £100 worth of Coral Vouchers to place bets in their shops.

1st Domains have kindly given me £300 Website to the value of £300 (which includes .com - .co.uk - 1 x Years hosting - 50 pop accounts - Unlimited mail forwarding - Unlimited Auto responders - 400 MB of Web Space - Full control panel access) http://www.1stdomains.co.uk/

Green & Blacks

2008-09-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

I spoke to a wonderful lady called Charlotte at Green & Black's and arranged for the hamper to be sent. Charlotte sent me a picture of the hamper - the contents may vary but it will be similar to this.
I wanted to dedicate this BLOG entry to give thanks for the generosity of the FABULOUS chocolate company that is:

Green & Black's Hamper

2008-09-22T06:26:00.000-07:00

Green & Black's are sending me a hamper! I was over the moon to open that letter today.
Thank you Green & Blacks.

Regarding training: Jane and I went for a 2-hour walk yesterday. It was lovely, the sun was shining! We had 3 Golden Retrievers with us and there were moments when I think the dogs were taking US for a walk! I know a 2 hour walk is not the same as 6-7 hours a day for 6 days but it's something. I also cut the grass and then went dancing so I'm keeping quite active.

I put the stepping meter on before I went for the walk and by the time I came home from dancing I'd clocked up over 27,300 steps.

Black Jack

2008-09-22T03:33:00.000-07:00

Great News! A beautiful young croupier has offered her services for the party, as long as I could find a black jack table. Helen is a friend of Stuarts. The very next day a friend of Richards told me that she knows a young lad who has a table. Adam is happy to let me borrow it for the evening! I'm so excited about it, it's going to be such fun!

Bad news is that the rejection letters have started to come back:-( I've been rejected by Argos, Thorntons and Hotel Chocolat. I'm not loosing hope though, I've written to other places and I'm going to write to some more.

Stuart has secured me £150 of Nigel Barratt photography studio vouchers and £100 of Coral vouchers - what a love he is!

Richard is thinking about the music for the party and we are going to make a playlist. If anyone has requests, please let me know in advance and I'll try to sort it out.

The tickets have started to sell and that's really exciting too!

I'm really looking forward to it, it's going to be such fun.

I'm collecting things for the bootsale and my house looks like Steptoe and Son's. I may go to Hayes this Sunday and they have said that they will give me the pitch free. It's all good, and IT'S ALL FOR CHARITY !!!!!!!!!!!!

Boot Sale

2008-09-14T04:27:00.000-07:00

I now have £1,275! I've sold some tickets for the party and quite a few people have said they want to come.

I'll feel better when I've actually sold more but I'm pretty certain it's going to be a great success.

I've been jogging only once lately and I went for an hour walk with Molly next door (lovely 11 year old who was great company).

I'm really concentrating on fundraising and am feeling that I can pick up the training in a while when I've got the foundations in place for my fundraising.

I was thinking that it would be a good idea to get a 'chocolate mountain' next to the chocolate fountain and have written to various chocolate companies begging them for some free chocolate.

I've also written to some companies (like John Lewis, Diggerland, Chessington, Argos etc) to see if I can get some raffle / auction items. I need to do more of that when I have a bit more time free.

I am collecting stuff for a bootsale, hoping to do that next sunday or the sunday after. Any bootsale donations are welcome. Thanks !

I want to thank everyone who is helping me with this project. Be it donating, forwarding the info onto friends, giving me stuff for raffle/bootsale, moral support, selling party tickets, dj-ing, choc fountain, inviting me to speak at meetings etc. giving me fundraising ideas, and just for being there for me. WOW !

With big love, Deborah

I've hit my first Milestone !

2008-09-08T05:55:00.002-07:00

I've hit the first thousand and passed the post with a total of £1,020 so far!

WOW

Nearly at my first milestone!

2008-09-08T05:55:00.001-07:00

I'm £10 off my first thousand !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's absolutely amazing as I've only been up and running for 2 weeks !

Party venue confirmed

2008-09-08T05:55:00.000-07:00

I rang the Warren today and they have confirmed that they will give me the hall half price for the party, so I'm really, really pleased!

I had the awful task of ringing Chelsfield Lakes Golf club and cancelling the hall they offered me. The man who arranged it for me, Gordon Dawson, is such a nice guy and he originally offered me a half-price hall and gave me a raffle prize but the Warren is for the Saturday and it's more suitable for my purpose. So I will send Gordon a couple of free tickets to the party and a massage or reflexology voucher and hope he forgives me for messing him about.

I want to say a big THANK YOU to Gordon at Chelsfield Lakes Golf Club.

I had a £10 donation yesterday from a lovely lady - Debbie - who has HD herself, which was really touching. I've also had money donated from 3 more people I don't even know! I'm truly touched by people's kindness.

I'm thinking about tunes for the party now.........

I've acquired one of those stepometer thingies - I've got to get back to training but I'm concentrating on fundraising more at the moment.

I've got some more stuff from the boot sale, left over from the Donkey Derby I helped out at yesterday. My study is looking more like steptoe's yard each day !

Party venue is looking good

2008-08-27T12:52:00.008-07:00

Richard did a party at the Warren last night and he thinks that the hall is suitable for our charity party. I went with him and I was impressed by the size and layout and I'm really excited now. The HDA have sent a letter to the Warren confirming that the do is for their charity, so I'm just waiting on confirmation of the discounted price before I tell everyone it's for definite. But it's 99% certain and it's on 15th November. Tickets £10.

Stuart has confirmed that we'll have the chocolate fountain there too!

My friend Sonya has forwarded my email to lots of people, so hopefully that will bring in a bit more sponsorship. Thanks Sonya!

Had 3 more £10 donations and I'm now up to £895. I'm looking forward to getting to my first thousand!

The money is coming in :-)

2008-08-27T12:52:00.007-07:00

Mum came over and brought me some stuff for a bootsale. If the wet weather continues like this, I won't get any bootsale done, or any training !

I was overwhelmed by a £75 donation from a friend in America who I haven't spoken to for a few years. I've had some more donations from clients and people are being so kind and generous. I've got £865 already!

Mum's helped a lot, by giving and collecting donations for me. I emailed some people in her local HD group to see if they or anyone they know might donate. I have also written to St Andrews Hospital in Northampton where my brother was cared for in the hope that the staff on his ward may donate something. I'm working on the principle that, 'if you don't ask, you don't get'!

Jane kindly donated the £40 we took from doing massage at the round table meeting.

The Warren have offered me a hall for 15th November and hopefully it will be half price. We're going there tonight to have a look at it.

I just hope that I can get enough people to attend the party. Hopefully the universe will continue to smile upon me x

Thank you for reading my BLOG

The Universe is liking me today !

2008-08-27T12:52:00.006-07:00

Today I was offered TWO more venues for my party - both on the Saturday, which is what I really wanted and at half price. Both venues have a proper dance floor as well, so I'm so excited about that.

A client of mine rang to offer me a £40 meal voucher raffle prize for GI restaurant in West Wickham. Tel: 020 8777 7555

My Mum is raising another £150 for me by selling an article about her experiences with Huntington's Disease to The Readers Digest !

The Universe is liking me today!

Last night I attended a Round Table Meeting (courtesy of Stuart) and told them what I was doing and why. They wont make a decision about a donation until the next meeting, which is in October, but I'm ever hopeful they may contribute after I pulled a bit on their heartstrings. Thanks to Stuart for inviting (and feeding) me!

I haven't done any training for a few days. Jane and I were going jogging yesterday but it was pouring down with rain :-(

2008-08-27T12:52:00.005-07:00

Yesterday I did a brisk walk for an hour and a half. I guess I walk about a mile every 20 mins so I probably did about 4 miles or just over. My legs were aching by the time I finished as I purposely chose a route that had some steep roads. I soaked them in a lavender and juniperberry bath and then went out dancing in the evening and my legs did me proud!

Today I spent hours looking for a venue for my charity party. Richard has kindly offered to dj for me. It's quite short notice and I am restricted to dates because I have to avoid Bromley ceroc weekends, Orpington ceroc weekends, camber weekend and gazza bashes (charity do's which are modern jive focused).

I think the universe answered my prayer because Chelsfield Lakes Golf Club offered me the venue half price and gave me a raffle prize too! The man was amazing, I can't believe he was so generous. I've provisionally booked it for Friday 14th November. The dance floor is small and that concerns me a bit but there's lots of floor space to dance as well, so I think it will be OK.

Gordon Dawson www.chelsfieldlakesgolf.co.uk What a lovely and charitable man he is!

The venue holds up to 200 people and I'm hoping for at least 100. I'm really excited about the party!

I've had some very generous donations on my website www.justgiving.com/deborahgoodman

I even had a donation from a lady in America who is the sister of a client who doesn't even know me! I am overwhelmed at people's generosity.

A big thank you to all who have donated so far.

chocolate fountain

2008-08-27T12:52:00.004-07:00

Despite the couple of glasses of wine I consumed last night, I still managed to get up and go jogging. I did the mile around the track and then walked for 5 minutes, then managed to jog for a further 5 minutes. I'm determined to up it bit by bit.

A few days ago I walked to the high street, bought 2 packs of printer paper and walked back with them in my rucksack! They were heavy, it was hot, and the hill from the high street up passed the station seemed steeper than usual! More of that to come, I just need the time free in my day. Luckily I had an excuse to stop half way to say hello to the taxi driver and the guy in the trophy shop (both of whom I know - I'm not making random friends along the way!).

A friend of mine offered his chocolate fountain for my party night when I hold it, which is great news!

http://www.the-chocolate-fountain.co.uk/index.html

Sponsorship is coming in !

2008-08-27T12:52:00.003-07:00

My first day of Justgiving.com brought me £150. I was overwhelmed with the generosity of a client and also a friend who both gave £50.

Set up this BLOG tonight after a friend told me about it. Thanks Lee x

See Lee's Blog http://one-minute-coaching.blogspot.com/

I've signed up!

2008-08-27T12:52:00.002-07:00

OK, i've done it! I got a stamp from Jane and posted the forms!

I rang the organisers to find out if anyone else has booked on the trip and they told me I'd be lucky 13! It's an open trek with other charities and I'm the only one raising money for HD booked on it so far.

My friend has a hall for 20th September that I could probably have 1/2 price so I texted everyone on my phone to ask who may be interested in a disco/party. Some people said they'd come but not enough to make it worthwhile unfortunately.

I rang the lady about the Warren for the disco and they told me there are only 2 Fridays left available this year. It's a popular place! I couldn't get it free but may get it half price. I'd have to book it now, and it feels like a bit of a pressure.

Jane sent me lots of other fundraising ideas.

I created a 'justgiving' site. www.justgiving.com/deborahgoodman

Please sponsor me!

2008-08-27T12:52:00.001-07:00

I've received the forms, filled them in and put them in an envelope. I don't have any stamps though. My solar plexus is feeling knotted. I’m really nervous about signing up for it. Rang HD but the lady who deals with it is on leave for a week. I rang the trip organizers and spoke to a lovely lady there who reassured me a bit. I received emails back from Jane and Julie with words of encouragement. But my Solar Plexus is still knotted!

I'm thinking about how I'm going to raise the money. I hope that many people will sponsor me for doing the trek but I'm guessing I'll need to do some extra work. I Rang a lady who's sister has HD and who worked at the Warren. Her husband still works there. I wanted to ask if she can get the hall free for Richard to do a disco there. I had a look on the website, it’s £210 for a weekday hire.

My friend Sonya said she’d sponsor me.

The initial idea

2008-08-27T12:52:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about starting a new project, or taking up a new hobby, or something to get my teeth stuck into when the Huntington's Disease Association newsletter plopped through my door with a charity china trek in it.

It looked fantastic! I have to raise £2,700 and pay £300 to register for it. It’s a tall order to raise that much, but I was feeling confident I could do it.

I emailed Julie, a client of mine, to ask about vaccinations. She did a similar trek for Cancer in 2003. She lent me the diary of a lady she trekked with, her sisters friend, Jane.

I read the diary by the next day. It scared me because of the amount of training and fundraising Jane did. How am I going to fit it all in?

Then my mum rang. She has already collected £10 from cousin Sue and £10 from Uncle David. My stepdad has pledged £20 and I haven’t even signed up for it yet.