Sally Welsh

Before Les was diagnosed, he was playing 18 rounds of golf three times a week. We had been counting the days until my retirement so that we could spend more time travelling in our little camper van which we love.

When Les was diagnosed it was devastating. All our plans disappeared overnight. His first three treatments were ineffective and as a result his life became very restricted.

I pulled out all the stops to be strong for him, but privately I was struggling to cope. One day when I was feeling particularly low, I cut out the logo on a leaflet for Hope for Tomorrow and stuck it on my fridge.

Les had just started having chemotherapy on the mobile cancer care unit and I was so impressed by the wonderful service it offered. That little logo reminded me every day that there is always hope for someone on a cancer journey.

The more I looked at it I realised I wanted to do something positive to support the charity.

Walking helped me in the early days. I used to take myself off for a stroll when Les was having his treatments. It gave me the space to cry on my own and work through all the emotions I was dealing with. I didn’t want Les to see me upset, he had enough to deal with.

I decided to do a 63-mile sponsored walk along the Stour Valley Path from Newmarket in West Suffolk to Cattawade on the Essex/Suffolk border to raise some money to support the mobile units.

Before Les was diagnosed, he was playing 18 rounds of golf three times a week. We had been counting the days until my retirement so that we could spend more time travelling in our little camper van which we love.

When Les was diagnosed it was devastating. All our plans disappeared overnight. His first three treatments were ineffective and as a result his life became very restricted.

I pulled out all the stops to be strong for him, but privately I was struggling to cope. One day when I was feeling particularly low, I cut out the logo on a leaflet for Hope for Tomorrow and stuck it on my fridge.

Les had just started having chemotherapy on the mobile cancer care unit and I was so impressed by the wonderful service it offered. That little logo reminded me every day that there is always hope for someone on a cancer journey.

The more I looked at it I realised I wanted to do something positive to support the charity.

Walking helped me in the early days. I used to take myself off for a stroll when Les was having his treatments. It gave me the space to cry on my own and work through all the emotions I was dealing with. I didn’t want Les to see me upset, he had enough to deal with.

I decided to do a 63-mile sponsored walk along the Stour Valley Path from Newmarket in West Suffolk to Cattawade on the Essex/Suffolk border to raise some money to support the mobile units.

I contacted Hope for Tomorrow who were very helpful and encouraging and said they would assist me in setting up a JustGiving page.

I needed to focus and I knew I had to find something to do to carry on and give Les the support he needed. I found walking very therapeutic at that time so I thought I would see if I could put that to good use.

I wanted Les to be involved in some way and as he always has a freshly ironed handkerchief on him, I took a freshly ironed handkerchief with me on every walk. It kept him close.

Friends offered to join me on my walks, but I found that too much of a distraction. I preferred to be alone. Being out in nature really helped me and from the first steps in my walking boots I felt I could breathe for the first time since the diagnosis. I took a flask and my lunch and watched the swallows in the sky, and it helped me to stay strong.