A staff nurse from Benenden Hospital is preparing to embark on a challenging Grand Canyon Trek to raise money for Pancreatic Cancer UK.
A staff nurse from Benenden Hospital is preparing to embark on a challenging Grand Canyon Trek to raise money for Pancreatic Cancer UK.
Kate Minett, from the Hospital’s Bensan Ward, lost her husband Nigel to the disease five years ago. He was aged just 54.
Kate wanted to do something positive in his memory and also wanted to raise funds for research into the disease after her daughter raised a staggering £10,000 by holding a dinner dance at the London Beach Hotel in Tenterden, Kent.
Kate, a mother-of-four, will walk for around nine miles a day in temperatures around 30 degrees. She will venture through the stunning mountain terrain of Arizona, exploring the ancient homelands of the Navajo Tribe and spend her nights camped in the Canyon’s desert ranches.
As well as being keen to raise funds she was attracted to the trip as it will be an opportunity to meet people with a shared experience of the disease who are equally passionate about the cause.
Kate said: “I have decided to celebrate his life and help others suffering by joining the Pancreatic Cancer UK Grand Canyon Challenge Trek in October. I am self- funding this trip so that any money I am able to raise will go directly to research and support for others suffering from this terrible disease.
“I’ve not done anything quite like this before, although I did go trekking in Morocco in May where I was walking seven to eight hours a day. This will be far more challenging, especially with the heat, but I’m looking forward to it.”
The challenge involves hiking through remote areas of the Grand Canyon, across rock trails and back roads developed by the early miners and ranchers, as well as visiting state parks and waterfalls.
Kate said: “It will be a week of challenges, dusty trails and camping out under the stars, a chance to enjoy the view and the wildlife and hopefully avoid the rattle snakes, black widow spiders, mountain lions and vultures!
“Pancreatic cancer survival rates have not improved in 40 years with only 4% of sufferers surviving five years. My husband died 10 and a half weeks after diagnosis. If you would like to help change these statistics, my fundraising page can be found at: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Kate-Minett”
Published on 28 June 2017