Emily’s story: Walking with purpose

Emily lost both her mum and her best friend in close succession to each other in 2019. The two were significant figures in her life, and they all shared an enthusiasm for walking. Here, Emily shares her story, explaining what walking means to her, and why she is motivated to complete Moonlight Walk this June…

An unexpected turn

A year later, Sarah was given the devastating news that the cancer had spread to her brain and there wasn’t anything that could be done to cure it. Then, the unthinkable happened, and Emily herself was also diagnosed with breast cancer. “Sarah was really poorly in the final months of her life. It was brutal. She was only in her mid-forties when she died, no age at all,” Emily explained.

“She had a lovely big room at the end of the Hospice which overlooked the garden, and this is where she spent her final three weeks.”

“I am now approaching my seventh survival anniversary and am so very happy. However, I can’t stop feeling guilty that I survived and she didn’t. It’s a strange feeling when you have gone through a similar thing with somebody so close to you, and then you get the all clear, but your best friend wasn’t so fortunate.”

Emily concluded, explaining why she will be participating in Moonlight Walk: “I lost my mum and my best friend in the same year, which was pretty gruelling, and this is why I am doing the Moonlight Walk. I thought it would work quite nicely with the amount of training I would need to do. A few friends are doing it with me, so it will be a nice social event too. We can walk and put the world to rights whilst raising money for the Hospice.”