My younger son and I have signed up to do the British Red Cross
Red Shoe Walk in London on Saturday 9th May 2015. The 8- or 4-mile walk takes
you crisscrossing from bank to bank over London's bridges. We last did the
walk in May 2013 and had a great time together. This year we have a special reason to help the Red Cross
raise funds. Why not join us?
Until the latter half of 2014, I had always associated the
Red Cross with disaster relief overseas. I returned from the International
Federation of Translators' Conference in Berlin last August to a crisis in my
own family. My mother (Carole Andrews) had been diagnosed with breast cancer. As a result, I am
now aware of how the Red Cross helps with crises in the UK too.
Independence
Today, families are often separated geographically across
long distances - sometimes even with family members abroad. My sisters and I we are scattered between Somerset, South Wales and London. My
mother maintains a fierce independence in her own home in North Somerset. Ordinarily, she is the
one running around after everyone else and their health. She suffers with
rheumatoid arthritis. Still, she keeps going when lesser mortals would have
long given up.
No fuss
When she first retired, my mother used to deliver meals on wheels
to local residents who were sick and housebound. She regularly drives friends
to the doctors' or hospital appointments. There was no shortage of volunteers
to help her out. Typically, she would not tolerate the "fuss" for
herself.
British Red Cross volunteers
When it came to the daily radiotherapy treatment, the British Red
Cross came to the rescue. They operate a scheme for patients in Musgrove
Park Hospital, Taunton. Given my mother's experience, I would
recommend that it is extended elsewhere. Every day, a different Red Cross volunteer drove her to the hospital and returned her home afterwards. Rather
than having family fussing and making her nervous, she enjoyed speaking with someone new every day. As a thank you, my son and I are going to do the London
Bridge sponsored walk in May 2015.
Thank you to Musgrove Park Hospital
We would also like to say a big thank you to all the staff at Musgrove
Park Hospital for their care and courtesy at all times.
They really do follow Kate Granger's compassionate #Hellomynameis campaign. Once an elderly person approaches 75 or over, they worry that hospitals no longer treat them as considerately as younger patients. We could not fault Taunton's Musgrove Park Hospital. They were brilliant. Their patient information was a
godsend at a worrying time. There was no need to scare ourselves with
information on the internet. The clear, well-structured little booklets spared my mother from having to explain her treatment over and over again to all her concerned family and friends.
London's Red Shoe Walk
The London walk starts at Tower Bridge. You can choose to
stop after 4 miles around Embankment or continue for the full 8 miles to Albert
Bridge in Battersea. You dress in red and wear red shoe covers. My own "red shoes" were
pretty battered by the end of the walk last time (see below).
It was a great mother-son bonding experience. James certainly jumped at the chance to do the walk again. At the finishing line, we both
received certificates. See the picture of us above at the 2013 finishing line.
If you would like to sponsor our 2015 walk, please follow the following link to our Virgin Money Giving fundraising page for the British Red Cross http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Red_Bridges
Alternatively, why not join us on the walk with your friends and children too?
Our current team of two is called the "Red Bridges". If there is enough interest, I may also sign up for the Severn Bridge walk the following week too. There are also Red Cross
walks taking place in Oxford and Windsor. Take a look online for further information on dates, etc.
Any support will be very much appreciated. Thank you!
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