Susan and Charlie
Susan will be doing the WHOLE of the South West Coast Path, which is from Minehead to Poole Harbour, in one go (well, stopping to sleep overnight!). This is the longest long distance footpath in Britain, and in her eyes, as she can now walk (in a fashion-we call it more of a waddle!) and I now can't, it seemed sort of apt somehow.
Mummy (sorry Susan) was planning to do this walk a good 20 years ago but 'things' in the shape of more surgery put paid to that idea, but actually she feels that it worked out better because now there is a greater reason to do it; its not just a wish its a need.
This is Charlotte, known to all as Charlie, with her dog Mac. Mac has featured in the blog so follow the link and find out all about him.
Charlie suffers from two conditions; the first is congenital and quite prevalent in the family although Charlie is particularly affected. The second is very rare but now known to be linked to the first. It is for this second condition that Charlie needs to see the doctors at a specialist clinic in Long Island, New York. Charlie knows, as do we all, that there is no miracle cure, but she is hoping that they can help her to be as well as she can and hopefully help to prevent the condition worsening and becoming more painful and debilitating.
Charlie is a very cheerful and positive person, and even through the years she spent bedridden, unable even to sit up without help, the smile rarely faltered and she never lost hope.
She is now studying for a degree in Fine Art, trying hard to ignore the complete lack of sensation in the hand and arm that she paints and draws with and the blurred and double vision that accompany the constant blinding headache!
Such a positive person deserves positive help, and the two million steps walk aims to do just that.
If just one million people spend 20p and 'buy' two steps each we can send Charlie to the US for all the treatment she needs and give at least £150,000 to Action Medical Research who fund research into the crippling diseases that affect people like Charlotte.