Stuart vows to keep ‘Team Nat’ alive by taking on Hadrian’s Wall in memory of his wife, Natalie
Stuart decided to raise money for St Leonard’s Hospice after Natalie was cared for by the Hospice before she died in 2018.
He said: “The Hospice is so close to my heart. We’re so grateful for the care Natalie received.”
Natalie was diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2013 when she was just 25 years old. It was caught at a stage where it could be treated with surgery and shortly after Natalie was given the all-clear and life continued as normal. Unfortunately, in August 2017, Natalie’s mobility deteriorated and she was told that cancer had returned and spread.
Shortly after, Natalie was referred to St Leonard’s Hospice. She stayed in the In-patient Unit for two weeks for some respite care, before being readmitted in May 2018.
Stuart said: “Despite the overall outlook and the many setbacks, the Hospice was a place of real sanctuary for Natalie. In her final months, it gave us regular moments of laughter, comfort and escape. It was a place where she could smile and be herself. Where Natalie could host friends and sleep off the bad days. A room we could fill with her favourite plants and millions of cards. And, most importantly, a place to fight her battle with grace, courage and her signature smile.
“The Hospice really is a special place. Nurses are ever-present and caring. Doctors are honest but reassuring. The more specialist support is discrete but easily accessible. Volunteers adding extra kind touches throughout the day. All of that meant so much to Natalie and, in turn, all of us.”
Shortly after Natalie’s battle with cancer her friends, family and colleagues came together to walk the highest three peaks in the UK to raise more than £50,000 as their “thank you” for everything St Leonard’s does and the team vowed to continue to raise money for the good cause.
Stuart added: “We will keep Team Nat alive and will continue to support the Hospice as long as we’re all still on this planet.
“Hospices all over the country do incredible, invisible work every single day to support people of all ages and they deserve to be celebrated. They also desperately need funding, as only a fraction of their running costs comes from the NHS – the rest is donations left in Wills and silly challenges like this.”
Stuart was assisted on his challenge by his good friend, Glyn Williams who helped with logistics and much-needed pep talks, and joined him for the last few miles.
Stuart carried a photo of Natalie throughout his 80-mile journey full of ups and downs from Bowness-on-Solway to Wallsend. Speaking of his heroic challenge, Stuart added: “I have my reasons for doing this, and that’s Natalie.”
If you would like to support Stuart’s challenge visit: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/135km