“It really does give you a fresh outlook on life”: Why Nicola has signed up for Weldmar’s Cambodia Overseas Challenge

“If I can do this, anyone can,” says Nicola Brown, who is the first person to sign up for Weldmar’s Cambodia Overseas Challenge.

This will be the second such challenge for Nicola, who was one of a group of supporters who went to Machu Picchu last year. It was an experience which she says has changed her outlook on life since losing her husband, Russell, in 2021.

“We never had a desire to travel,” says Nicola. “My husband and I had considerably more modest plans for holidays. But, losing him has completely changed my future. It’s not the same life. Even if I went to the places we had planned to, it wouldn’t have been the same.”

A challenge with purpose

Nicola was coming towards the end of her time attending Weldmar’s Wellbeing Support Sessions when the charity announced two Overseas Challenges to mark their 30th anniversary in 2024. Nicola chose to take on the iconic trail in Peru.

“I’ve been massively supported by so many lovely people at Weldmar since my husband died, so I wanted to give something back. It would give me a challenge to do the fundraising, as well as a physical challenge. It would give me a reason to get fit, and an opportunity to meet people. The whole experience was fantastic. We all met on training walks beforehand. We started out as a group of people, and we came home as friends for life.

“The challenge itself was one of the toughest things I’ve ever done. It was physically and emotionally demanding. We all encouraged each other in Machu Picchu. There wasn’t one of us who didn’t need that at some point. You’re all there with a common purpose – having an adventure, supporting Weldmar, raising awareness of what the hospice does, and as part of that group it felt really special. The sense of achievement at the end was absolutely fabulous.”

Compassionate care where and when it mattered most

Nicola says that she wants other families to experience the same support that she and Russell had from Weldmar. “He was diagnosed when he was 57, and lived with cancer for four years. For most of that time he was well. We lived a damn good life and we did lots of things that we wanted to do. For my husband, Weldmar stepped in right at the end. Thanks to the hospice at home service he got his wish to die at home. That was really important to him, and to me too.”

Nicola describes the support they had at home from Weldmar as ‘absolutely amazing’: “They explained everything, and were so compassionate. They took all the worries away if something needed doing, such as communicating with the GP, so I didn’t have to. If we needed something, it was there. If I had a question, it would be answered. Our last holiday together was in 2021, an annual holiday with my family in Cornwall. Russell wasn’t well, and I didn’t know what to do, so I called Lorna, a Weldmar Community Nurse, who gave me advice. She phone me later to see how things were going. It was a pretty scary experience because we weren’t at home.”

Although the time that Russell was in Weldmar’s care was relatively short, Nicola said it made a huge difference. “He was able to die at home, with me holding his hand, his son holding his hand, and the cat beside him. He got the death that he would have wanted.”

Continuing support for Nicola

The support from Weldmar did not stop there. Nicola attended counselling, which she says provided her with a safe space where she could talk about things and work through things she simply couldn’t have done with her family.

Nicola also attended the regular bereavement coffee mornings at the hospice, as well as the arts and crafts Wellbeing Support group. “For this to be offered to families is very special and I got so much out of attending. I met some lovely people, and I still meet with one lady that I met there. Although we’ve got friendship groups of our own, they’ve all got husbands and wives, and it’s important to find people that you’ve got things in common with. From the wellbeing group, I went onto Machu Picchu – so I almost feel as though I’ve never been away!”

Preparing for Cambodia

Nicola says that the Machu Picchu Overseas Challenge was also special because it gave her a unique insight into life in Peru. “Our guides were from the local communities and were so proud to show us their culture and history. Looking at the itinerary, I hope Cambodia will offer something similar.”