Thank you from Pete’s Purple Warriors
Vicki Stevenson-Hornby is a Clinical Nurse Specialist who works with patients and families affected by pancreatic cancer. Vicki speaks about her experience taking part in Born Survivor to raise funds and awareness for Pancreatic Cancer action.
“I took part in Born Survivor, a military obstacle course over 10km. I saw lots of people taking part because they train hard and want to test themselves. I also saw lots of people taking part raising money for various worthy charities: many of those doing so have personal experience of knowing someone personally affected by the condition and they want to make a difference for that particular charity.
For some, the course would be a breeze, for some, they would not find the obstacles or the distance a challenge.
I don’t mind saying, I am not one of those people. I did find the icy cold river a challenge, I found the Cumbrian terrain a challenge, I found crawling through mud and dirty water a challenge and found scaling the high walls a challenge. What kept me focussed throughout was my reason for doing it. …… Mine is (thankfully) not direct personal experience of the condition but it is the job I do. As a Clinical Nurse Specialist, I provide care and support for patients and families affected by pancreatic cancer, a type of cancer with a very poor outcome and appallingly low survival rates (unchanged in over 40 years).
I see the devastation which this disease causes. I wish with all my heart there was more I could do to help, that I
could give more hopeful news when I see the patients and families, that I could say there were more treatment options available but I can’t. So, today, I took on something which I personally found very very challenging but, what I faced was nothing in comparison to what the patients and families that I see face and deal with.
Along with a fabulously supportive team, we have raised (when all other donations and sponsors are collected), in excess of £1600 for Pancreatic Cancer Action – a charity aiming to secure earlier diagnosis and improve outcomes and survival rates for this disease.
From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU for the part you have played in helping us to achieve this. I cannot put into words what this means to me and to the charity. xx