An Edinburgh family has raised thousands of pounds for Cancer Research by completing The Pentland Way over the weekend.
Stuart Roseburgh, from Corstorphine, along with friends and family, finished the 20-mile route on August 20. Cancer Research is a cause close to Stuart, with both his wife and mother dealing with the disease - having been diagnosed within months of each other.
His wife Leona, 31, was diagnosed with breast cancer in October last year, just two weeks after the couple were married in Cyprus. She’s currently undergoing radiotherapy, having coped with weeks of chemotherapy.
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Leona's diagnosis was a further blow for the family after Stuart’s mother, Carol, 63, was told she has lung cancer in February last year. Also undergoing chemotherapy, she had a lung tumour removed - though was told at the start of this year the cancer had returned.
We spoke to Stuart after the hike, who told us how the sponsored walk came about. He said: “A close family friend who does a lot walking in had kind of suggested it.
“A lot of friends and family were keen, so we made a group chat and got planning. That was about six or seven months ago.
“When it finally happened on Saturday, I’d actually contacted Coach Hire Edinburgh who very kindly offered to provide transport. We left Dunsyre at about 7.50am and ended at Swanston, for a few celebratory drinks at the Swanston Brasserie.”
Stuart admitted that he and his fellow walkers found the walk extremely difficult. He said: “It’s probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done.
“There’s so many peaks to go up. Going up the West Kip and all the other peaks, it’s very difficult.
“I think the first person finished at around 3.30pm, and myself and a few others got in at around 4.15 - with a few stragglers behind, some of whom had injured themselves. Everyone was overwhelmed by what we had achieved.”
Stuart’s mother Carol, along with Leona and their three-year-old daughter Hollie were waiting at the finish line for everyone to finish the hike. The whole family described it as a ‘touching’ moment as the walk came to an end.
Stuart told us about his wife’s cancer diagnosis, which began just weeks after their wedding in Cyprus. He recalled: “She found a lump in her breast, but we didn’t think much of it.
“Two weeks after we got back from our wedding, we got the lump checked and were shocked to find out it was breast cancer. Since then, she’s gone through 12 weeks of chemo.
“She’s now undergoing radiotherapy, which is not as gruelling but it makes her really tired. We’re all just trying to keep our spirits up.
“As for my mum, she was diagnosed with lung cancer 18 months ago. She got chemo and had the tumour removed, but we found out at the start of this year that it isn’t all gone.
“She has to go in every six weeks for a check-up, and there’s not really too much they can do apart from that. We’re all just trying to appreciate the time we have left together.”
The JustGiving page for the Roseburghs' sponsored walk is still open, and available here.
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