On the 28thJuly, I had to finally follow through with my abseil challenge for The Brain Tumour Charity. A bunch of nerves powered by adrenaline, I couldn’t believe I finally had to do it!! The petrifying event always felt so far away and yet the time had come and to my disappointment my fear of heights was as prevalent as ever!!
On the way there, I tried to focus my mind on the huge positive of taking on this challenge which was that I was getting to see so many of my favourite people in one place, I was particularly excited for my boyfriend to meet all my school friends and grandparents!!
Fast forward past one entertaining car journey with Beth complaining about her bladder 24/7, nightmare trying to find a space to park and a reunion with so many of my friends (including two cheeky misses who surprised me- Harriet and Kez you made my day, never believing your excuses ever again!!) and it was time to put on a helmet, fasten my harness and slip on some hugely oversized gloves before the safety briefing.
After the safety briefing, I wasn’t sure if I felt more or less safe as the abseil staff were so entertaining and lovely that I felt immediately at ease but they also reminded me that it is 100m tall and despite them controlling the safety rope, the majority of the rope control is down to me and my arms- me and my weakling arms were definitely feeling the pressure!
At the top, it was decided that I would go 2nd out of the 5 of us taking part which was the ideal position in my eyes as I wanted to get it over and done with as quickly as possible but also see how it works first and I’d rather not be the guinea pig!
The actual abseil itself involved gradual stages to get you comfortable with using the equipment and in the right position to descend safely, the scariest part of it all was stepping out of the building onto the platform and then positioning myself on the wall, but they kept the ropes tort that I felt so secure and the staff were lovely and patient as I got into position. I was so OCD about how to hold all the ropes and what I could hold onto etc that I must’ve driven them crazy by double checking everything in fact I probably asked for reassurance I was proceeding the right way at least 50 times.
As I took my first step down, it dawned on me that I WAS ACTUALLY ABSEILING AND I WAS SO HIGH UP!! I stayed fixated on the wall in front of me but knew I should make the most of the view since I had a gopro on my head, so at first I closed my eyes and looked around just so the go pro got some good shots!!
About half way down my arm was throbbing, the pulling rope life was clearly not for me and to make matters worse I could feel my glove becoming looser and looser. I took a short break to adjust and reminded myself why I was doing this and just as I was feeling like giving up, I heard Beth’s voice blasting from the megaphone “Come on Becca, you’ve got this” and I mustered the courage to look down and there were over 25 smiling faces all cheering me on and I picked up my pace and thought the quicker I get down, the quicker I get to see all these lovely people and the quicker my arm gets a break.
Tug, tug and a bit more tugging with my arm slowly losing all feeling and my feet finally touch the ground and hear all the people I love clapping and cheering behind me and the feeling of relief was sensational, I couldn’t believe what I had achieved and I felt so overwhelmed by all the people that came to support me and felt so lucky to have such incredible friends and family, now for a drink!!
LAST BUT DEFINITELY NOT LEAST… drum roll please… I have raised a phenomenal total of over £4,000 for The Brain Tumour Charity- I am simply speechless!! Thank you so much to everyone who has so generously donated and made this incredible total a reality!!
It’s not too late to donate though!! https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/beccasbrainyabseil
Since that beautiful day, my Dad lost his battle with brain cancer and this charity is now closer to my heart than ever, having him there to support my achievement with so many of my friends and family will always be a memory I will treasure.
Brain Tumours are extremely underfunded and I hope during my time as a Brain Tumour Charity Ambassador I can raise awareness as much as possible so that one day people like my Dad will get to live the long life they deserve. My Dad fought a brave battle but the statistics for this dreadful disease were never in his favour with just 11% of adults surviving 5 years after diagnosis. My Dad survived almost 11 months and tried 5 different treatment options and I’m determined to keep fighting for a cure now that he can’t.
A great way you can get involved in this wonderful charity is by signing up to one of their Twilight Walks, taking place in Edinburgh, Warwick and Windsor this Autumn. The Twilight Walk 2018 saw a record-breaking 5,600 people unite to raise £671,000 for those affected by brain tumours. This is enough to fund over seven-and-a-half years of research.
Find out more here: thebraintumourcharity.org/get-involved/thetwilightwalk/
Buzz from B 