I did it, But let me tell you… this was definitely not your normal Sunday morning stroll! 😂I recently completed a fundraising walk using my three-wheeled walker to raise money for East Surrey Samaritans. And I’m not going to pretend it was easy.
I really had to dig deep. Living with Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP) means that walking is no longer something I can take for granted. Every step requires effort, concentration, balance and determination. There were definitely moments when my brain was saying: “Come on Patto, keep going.” While another part of me was saying: “Or… we could just go home and have a cup of tea?” 😂 For most people, a Sunday morning walk might involve a leisurely stroll, a coffee and a few steps on the Fitbit. This was very different. There were moments when my legs were telling me they had had enough. But I kept going. And that’s what resilience means to me. Resilience isn’t about making difficult things look easy. It’s about finding something inside you to keep going when they aren’t. That is one of the biggest lessons my journey with HSP has taught me. The walk wasn’t just about completing a distance. It was about taking something that is genuinely difficult for me and using it to help other people. That’s why I chose to support East Surrey Samaritans. Their volunteers provide a vital listening ear to people who may be struggling, lonely or facing moments when they simply need someone to talk to. Their work reminds us that none of us should feel that we have to face everything alone. I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who donated, shared my fundraising page, sent messages of encouragement or simply followed the journey. Your support genuinely helped me keep going when the legs were saying: “That’s enough now, Patto!” 😂 Challenge completed. Three-wheeler survived. Legs… still deciding. 😂But most importantly, we raised awareness and support for a fantastic cause. And once again, I’ve been reminded that sometimes the hardest steps are the ones that matter most. One step at a time.
