Finding inner strength through walking the South Downs

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Vicki Harrison’s new book offers her personal journey of how she found positive energy, new self-confidence and inner strength by walking in nature around the South Downs.

“This came after an operation in February 22, plus a long nine-month recovery which left me teaching myself how to walk properly again after a couple of infections and a hypertonic pelvis.”

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Coat On Coat Off Wet Feet (published by Amazon) is available from Amazon at £14.99 paperback, £19.99 hardback and £5.99 Kindle. It is also available from The Country Inn Bepton and Kemaelli’s Midhurst.

Vicki, aged 47, who lives in Midhurst, said: “Whilst going through my recovery of my major pelvic organ surgery, and with discovering I had EDS (Ehler Danlos Syndrome) combined with my Raynaud’s which I have suffered for over 12 years. I also lost my dear nan to dementia in August 22. This in itself was a hard time as my mum previously had been recovering from ovarian cancer surgery. Also a couple of dear friends in their 40s were battling cancer so a lot was going on. After my nan passed, my grandad in his 90s also suffered hallucinations and dementia, so a lot was going on as well as the recovery.

“I threw myself into trying to walk properly again as at this time I was very nervous that this wasn’t going to be normal again. Working harder and harder each day taking a few more steps further than the day before I then challenged myself to walk ten miles on my one-year anniversary of having my operation. Everyone around me thought it would be too much, but I had set my mind to it.

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“On February 28 2023, my adventures started, one year after my surgery. I walked from the bottom of Cocking Hill across the South Downs way heading up to Harting Hill, not knowing where I was going, setting myself the goal of walking five miles with my dog Samo one way to turn around to come back. I enjoyed every moment of it and as hard it was, I carried on as I was so determined to complete my challenge.

“I did it, and yes, I suffered afterwards but also loved it so much that I carried on week on week on a Tuesday setting out on new adventures. Tuesdays became my day to walk and to have time for me. I had learnt to slow down after my op as I had lots of thinking to realise what was important in life and looking after your health and mental health was top priority if everything else was to follow. So using an app on my phone I ventured on week by week, in all weathers discovering new places. I was enjoying it so much that I decided to raise money for a charity and take on my first 42km Ultra Marathon for Dementia UK in Sept 23, taking on the South Coast Ultra Challenge and every week I trained hard, increasing my mileage, with setbacks and challenges, but persevered and 14 months later I have completed two Ultra Marathons (the second for Macmillan Cancer) and signed up for my third. I have also taken on a 800-mile Virtual Challenge and completed 300 miles in November for Prostate Cancer Research.

“Walking helped me not only prove to myself that the surgery I had was actually worth it as the recovery was so hard, but it became a coping mechanism in dealing with the grief for my nan, but to also help me with my grandad as had battled with health problems, taking him into Rotherlea Nursing Home where he spent his final days before passing on April 9 2024.”

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