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A retired British doctor who has lived in Alhaurín el Grande for five years is embarking on his second consecutive Camino de Santiago walk to raise funds for cancer research. Steve Eckersall walked 780km on the French route of the world-famous Camino last year in memory of his wife, Siobhan, who died of ovarian cancer in February 2024, an initiative that raised 6,000 euros for Ovacome (the main UK ovarian cancer charity) and Cruise (a charity that supports bereaved families). This year he will be raising funds for Cudeca.
Originally from North Hertfordshire, Eckersall and his wife arrived on the coast in 2020 in order to spend their retirement years in the sun, but just three years later, Siobhan was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Despite undergoing surgery and chemotherapy, she died just 12 months later at the age of 58. It was this devastating tragedy that initiated the 66-year-old Brit’s campaign – The Walk of Hope - to raise awareness of the disease and the importance of early detection.
The widower will be joined again by John Apps, an old friend from medical school who, along with his wife, Susie, has travelled from New Zealand again to participate in the walk, which will begin on Wednesday 28 May.
The trio will walk the Leon to Oviedo section, and then Camino Primitivo, a total distance of 440km, which Eckersall knows will be more challenging due to the terrain, and also due to his own health concerns.
“We have chosen these routes because, although they are more challenging, the views are said to be absolutely spectacular. However, I needed a hip replacement after last year and I suffered a minor stroke recently, so it’s going to be fun,” the dedicated retiree told SUR in English.
With this year’s walk, he is hoping to raise 6,000 euros for Cudeca, a charity that he said is “very close to his heart”.
“This wonderful voluntary organisation looked after Siobhan with so much love and care in her final three weeks of life, and she passed peacefully in their Benalmádena hospice. I have set the target of 6,000 euros because this figure would cover the cost of her care,” he said.
Donations can be made on www.steveswalkofhopeforsiobhan.com
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