After already taking part in many fundraising challenges over the past few years, this September Kate from Beeston will be embarking on a trek to the Scottish Highlands to raise money for Coppafeel, a breast cancer charity that aims to highlight early detection, particularly in younger people.
Below Kate talks about her challenge:
My name is Kate, I came to Nottingham in 1994 at 18 years old to begin my nurse training. I never left and I have been living in Beeston for the last 16 years and now consider myself a fully-fledged Beestonian.
I have been a nurse for nearly 26 years and for the last four, I have worked in our local community as a specialist dementia nurse.
In 2005 out of the blue, just after retiring, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. I was 30 and completely unaware of the risks.
Mom’s treatment included a lumpectomy and radiotherapy, followed over the years by further chemotherapy, more radiotherapy, secondary bone metastasis, and hip fractures as a result of medication.
The impact of cancer on the whole family is overwhelming, and frightening. During mom’s first diagnosis I felt isolated, helpless and fearful, I not only worried about my mom’s health and prognosis but suffered anxiety about my own health.
Then I found Coppafeel, a breast cancer charity with a focus on early detection. Coppafeel brought me back from the brink of irrational health anxiety and I have been a massive supporter ever since.
In 2016 I joined a trek across Iceland with Coppafeel and met lots of men and woman, some still undergoing treatment for breast cancer but able to find the strength and resilience to take on a challenge.
Since then I have become no stranger to fundraising for both of my passions, Coppafeel and The Alzheimer’s Society. I have climbed Ben Nevis at night, been dog sledding in Sweden and trekked the Carpathian Mountains in Transylvania.
After lockdown I needed to get moving again, I applied to Coppafeel and out of 800 applicants was chosen for the Come Fly with Gi 2021 Coppafeel Trek.
In September I will be travelling up to the Scottish Highlands to join 100 other trekkers for five tough days of trekking 100km from Glen Lyon. The trek includes some of the most challenging sections of the Rob Roy Way, summiting one of Scotland’s highest mountains, Ben Lawers at 1214m, and camping out in tents. The trek is supported by Queen of the castle Giovanna Fletcher and team captains Emma Willis, Gemma Atkinson, Candice Brown and Selasi Gbormittah who are joining in with us the whole way.
The Trek will complete an awareness and fundraising campaign to highlight Coppafeel’s life saving work and raise vital funds.
The local Beeston community have been amazing with lots of small independent local business offering prizes for a raffle and sharing social media content, sadly most of them come with their own stories of lives’ being affected by breast cancer.
Fundraising is hard and I have a target to meet, but it’s so important to continue to fund the educational resources and text alerts that Coppafeel offer which have already saved lives this year through early detection.
My family, friends, colleagues and locals have all shown amazing support.
To support Kate’s fundraiser, please visit: www.coppafeel.enthuse.com/pf/kate-tweedie-1bc65.
For information on the charity visit: www.coppafeel.org