Four furnishing industry professionals are preparing to walk across Wales in aid of Myeloma UK.
The team consists of Sas Haines, Paul Howe, Callum Day and Emma Hughes, with their aim to raise awareness and funds for Myeloma. Paul and Callum will be doing this in memory of their Dads and Emma will be doing this in support of her Dad who is a Myeloma patient, while Sas is joining them as their friend.
A question that we’re often too polite to ask, started the idea of this charity fundraiser for Myeloma UK. Emma and Callum were standing in the queue waiting to meet Warren Gatland, Gats as he’s affectionately known to us in Wales, last summer at the opening of the newly refurbished Leekes, Llantrisant Store. “Do you mind me asking what type of cancer your Dad had, Callum?” The look of surprise on both their faces when Callum said, “not at all, it’s a very rare blood cancer actually, I doubt you’ll have heard of it, Multiple Myeloma”.
During the course of the day, they shared notes of the difficulties of being adult ‘children’ faced with a parent diagnosis of Myeloma and they decided that they’d like to raise awareness and funds for the charity Myeloma UK. By the end of the day, they’d decided on a challenge and had spoken to their friend Paul, whose Dad had also been a Myeloma patient. Paul suggested that their friend Sas would love to join them and so Team Myeloma was formed.
Each year in the UK, approximately 5,900 people are diagnosed with myeloma, also known as multiple myeloma, it’s a blood cancer arising from plasma cells. At any one time there are around 24,000 people living with myeloma in the UK. It accounts for 15 per cent of blood cancers, and two per cent of all cancers. Myeloma mainly affects those over the age of 65, however, it has been diagnosed in people much younger, more information can be found at What is myeloma? – Myeloma UK.
The challenge, the Rotary Across Wales Walk will take place on Saturday, 22 June 2024. The team will start at 2am in Machynlleth, the historic capital of Wales and home to Owain Glyndŵr. The route itself is 46 miles, taking some 120,000 steps and an elevation of 2210 meters, along Glyndŵr’s Way, private farm land, public footpaths and the Montgomery canal before finishing in the beautiful border town of Montgomery. They hope to complete it before sunset, luckily it will be days after Summer solstice!
The team are currently in training, if you see one of them and their car is parked at the far end of your showroom carpark, you’ll know it’s because they’re spending ‘Time on Feet’. If they run out of milk at home in the evenings, they’re walking to the local shop leaving the car on the driveway, now the evenings are getting longer, they’re ditching the tv remote in favour of trainers and taking a walk around the block!
There are no more lazy Sunday’s for the team, they’re out on a Sunday Long Walk, the last team training took them from Crickhowell to Brecon, 17 miles along the canal. They are currently they’re planning the next group training adventure, a 13 mile, 1055m hike up Sugar Loaf and Skirrid Fawr. The reward will be the stunning views of Bannau Brycheiniog National Park.
The team has set themselves a fundraising target of £5,000 and have set up a JustGiving page, Team Myeloma is fundraising for Myeloma UK (justgiving.com). If you would like to give a donation to the challenge please click on this link, you are more than welcome to give one of the team a donation and they will add this to the fundraiser on your behalf.
There is no cure for Myeloma but with research, new treatments are becoming available to patients and thanks to your donations more treatments will become available and hopefully one day a cure.
