Tofino to Fife

[p]It was January 2014 when my mother, Andrea Waterston, complained of some severe back pain. Next followed the devastating news that is was in fact terminal Melanoma, skin cancer. At the end of March that same year, just two months after initial diagnosis, my mother passed away aged 64. Previous to her diagnosis my mother was my father’s carer for 5 years as he battled Parkinson’s and Dementia. It then fell to me to take on this caring role following my mother’s passing, along with an amazing support network of medical staff, carers, friends, family and my girlfriend, Hannah who had been with me from the start of my mother’s diagnosis. I had not envisaged caring for my father in my mid 20s however being able to spend quality time with him brought us closer and with it happy memories to cherish.[/p][p]In September 2016 my father, William Waterston, passed away peacefully aged 67 after his battle with Parkinson's and Dementia. It was completely devastating, our small, happy family of 3 was shattered, all in what seemed a whirlwind of time. The months that followed brought out lots of different emotions such as guilt, anger and sadness for losing my loving parents. However, as I begun to be more positive, I begun to look forward. Along with Hannah we asked what can we do to help others and what challenge can we undertake to raise money for those charities that helped myself and my parents?[/p][p][b][i]The Challenge:-[/i][/b][/p][p]Mum was born and raised in Canada, whilst my Dad was born and raised in St Andrews, Scotland. It was therefore appropriate to come up with a challenge that would incorporate both countries, pushing the physical and mental boundaries. Myself and Hannah sat down and thought it seemed appropriate to do something that involved endurance and adventure with a purpose. My parents loved the outdoors and adventure and would regularly be found up in the hills. After lots of ideas we came up with something…[/p][p]Our plan is to [b]cycle the width of Canada [/b](6400km in 36 days), and then fly immediately back home and [b]run across Scotland [/b](290km in 7 days). We will be starting the cycle in Tofino on Vancouver Island and heading across to Halifax in Nova Scotia covering roughly 175km a day. Tofino is one of the places where my mother’s ashes are scattered. This stunning coastal setting was one of her favorite places and where she spent many happy family holidays. Halifax is on the far East Coast of Canada and is where our dogs come from, Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers![/p][p]We will then jump on a direct flight from Halifax to Glasgow and head up to the West Coast of Scotland. From there we will start running from the spot near Arisaig where my parents and grandparent’s ashes are scattered and make our way across some of the most breathtaking parts of Scotland to St Andrews in Fife where my father was brought up. The run will consist of roughly a marathon a day for 7 days. You will be able to follow our progress via the following means: -[/p][p]- Instagram: @tofinotofife[/p][p][b][i]The Charities:-[/i][/b][/p][p]Throughout both my parent’s illnesses I received a huge amount of support from charities who make living with these conditions, or caring for loved ones with these conditions, slightly more bearable.[/p][p]We received a lot of amazing support from numerous charities but in the end we decided to support, St Columba’s Hospice, Alzeimer Scotland and MacMillan Cancer Support.[/p][p][b]St Columba’s Hospice[/b] is an Edinburgh based Hospice where my mother spent her final few weeks. The care and support from the incredible healthcare professionals there was just amazing and made sure that my mother was as comfortable as possible in her final days. [/p][p][b]Alzheimer Scotland [/b]is a charity that offers services for people affected by Dementia and is the leading dementia organisation in Scotland. Both my mother and myself went to various seminars, talks and support groups put on by the charity all of which helped us greatly. [/p][p][b]MacMillan Cancer Support[/b] who provide palliative care nurses who give advice and support with pain and symptom management for people with palliative care needs through to end of life care. They support the person with cancer, their family, and the nurses and doctors who are looking after them. Throughout my mother’s short battle MacMillan nurses were just amazing to us. [/p][p]We are [b]aiming to raise £20,000[/b] in total to be distributed evenly to these 3 charities. Anything you can give would be greatly appreciated. If you would like to find out more about these particular charities please follow the links below to their websites:-[/p][p][url=https://www.macmillan.org.uk/]https://www.macmillan.org.uk[/url][/p][p][url=https://www.alzscot.org/]https://www.alzscot.org[/url] [/p][p][url=https://www.stcolumbashospice.org.uk/]https://www.stcolumbashospice.org.uk[/url][/p][p]Mum and Dad were the perfect parents, devoted and loving all the way to the end. Sadly, both Cancer and Dementia effect more and more families, but with your donation hopefully these families can receive the ever-increasing care and support to make life as comfortable as possible as they navigate different paths through their conditions and treatments.[/p][p]Thank you for taking the time to read, your support is hugely appreciated.[/p][p]Matt and Hannah[/p][p][br][/p]