ABCD Saddleworth 3 Peak Challenge

I'm taking part in this challenge for the third year running on 4th May 2024. If you donated last year (or the year before) THANK YOU so much, if you would like to donate again this year it would mean a lot, this is a cause very close to my heart and Jo works so hard to keep these retreats going to help people like me - they really are life saving.

Sadly many of the ladies who have previously attended the retreat and took part in the previous fundraisers have since died, personal friends amongst them - and we will be remembering them at the final summit - each year this becomes more poignant.

On 28th May 2022 I took part in the first 3 Peaks of Saddleworth hike to raise money for After Breast Cancer Diagnosis motivational exercise retreats and I've taken part each year since.

 

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in September 2018 and attended the retreat in 2019 and this is my way of giving something back to these amazing retreats which are enormously supportive and beneficial.

 

At the time I was lucky enough to attend the retreat I wasn't in a great place. I was still having treatment, had undergone 3 surgeries and recently been hospitalised with sepsis. I was traumatised, frightened, lonely - just really sad. Where I had previously been a confident person with a successful career, that was all gone. With no income, my business down the pan, no confidence, low self-esteem, in a lot of pain from surgery and chemotherapy side effects and with very limited support. It wasn't just me who needed a break from it all, my sons also needed a break from me!

 

When Jo contacted me to say there was a cancellation and I could have a place to say I was delighted is an understatement - this was exactly what I needed and I was so excited to attend and meet others going through similar to me. I hadn't spent one night away from home (apart from hospital) since my diagnosis.

 

The retreat surpassed all my expectations and for the first time in a long time I felt like the old me again. We cycled, ran, walked, climbed, talked, did yoga, ate lovely food, had cocktails and stayed in a fabulous inn - most of all I had fun and laughed and forgot my troubles for a while, it was just amazing. I was so humbled by the force of nature that is Jo Taylor - an exceptional lady who tirelessly works for the good of others, both with her campaigning and running the fabulous retreats, while herself having stage 4 breast cancer and years of treatments, which will continue for the rest of her life.

 

During the weekend I felt my confidence return and a feeling that there was hope after all this, I hadn't felt as positive in a long time. Things haven't gone as smoothly for me as I had hoped since then - but that's another story. These retreats are literally a light in your life when you really need it - I want to raise as much as I possibly can to give something back and ensure that these retreats continue to provide support and hope for the many women who attend them.