Walberton mother to trek 100km across the Sahara Desert for breast cancer charity CoppaFeel

The five-day challenge will see Daisy navigating her way through Africa’s peaks, gorges, dunes and oases alongside more than 80 other participants, including celebrities Giovanna Fletcher and Vicki Pattison.

Daisy said she is nervous about the trek, especially as it means leaving her children for nine days, but is ‘really, really excited’ to be given the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

She said: “I’ve been told that walking over sand dunes is kind of like walking four steps forwards and ten steps back.

“I sort of can’t wrap my head around how I’m actually going to do it at the moment.

"I’m hoping that adrenaline and the support of everyone else will get me through it.”

Despite the apprehension, Daisy is determined to take on the challenge. She said: “The flight’s all booked to go, I’m going, I’m doing it and I’m going to do it well.”

Daisy is currently preparing by following CoppaFeel’s training schedule which is like ‘taking on another full-time job’. The training involves taking three walks a week, including one with an incline, and weight training to build the strength to eventually be able to walk eight hours on consecutive days.

"I'm sort of treading the pavements around where I live every day."

The charity receives 'hundreds of thousands' of applications each year, so Daisy did not expect to be chosen to take part.

She said: "I really didn't think I'd get a place.

"I actually weirdly deleted the email. I thought it was junk.

"I saw a couple of other people online saying they didn't get a place, and I was like 'oh, I haven't heard anything'.

"Then I went and looked back and luckily I found it."

CoppaFeel’s mission is to raise awareness of breast cancer in men, women and particularly in young people.

While Daisy has not experienced cancer herself, she has had family members who have ‘had a brush’ with the disease and also briefly had a scare herself. She was motivated to visit her GP about a lump she found after reading CoppaFeel founder Kristin Hallenga’s book.

Luckily for Daisy, it was nothing to worry about, but she is now determined to help raise awareness of the fact that breast cancer can affect anyone.

Daisy has set up a JustGiving page to raise money, and will also be at various events in the area to collect donations, including Worthing Scouts' Jubilee fun day.

To donate, visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/daisy-handley2

See also: Aldingbourne mother to brave charity wing walk in remembrance of 20-year-old daughter

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