Founder Kay White at Cho la Pass
Each year, hundreds of people experience some of the world’s ultimate adventure challenges in a bid to raise money for Cure Leukaemia.
Redventure offers people the opportunity to fulfil their dreams of dog-sledding in Sweden, trekking through the Sahara desert, hiking up Kilimanjaro, venturing to Everest Base Camp and walking along the Great Wall of China to support the charity.
“Redventure fulfils people’s dreams and ambitionsâ€Founder, Kay White
Founder of the charity treks, Kay White, says: “Redventure fulfils people’s dreams and ambitions, and the most wonderful thing about it, is that whilst they are doing something extraordinary for themselves, they are also helping hundreds of people through Cure Leukaemiaâ€.
Kay, aged 45, set up Redventure four years ago to raise money for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Cure Leukaemia Centre in Birmingham. Her friend and ex-husband are both diagnosed with the cancer, and Kay wanted to contribute towards a cause that is so close to her heart.
Approximately three hundred people have been involved in Redventure’s treks so far, each raising thousands of pounds to donate to the charity through fund-raising schemes.
John, aged 72-year from Wales, participated in the Sahara desert trip and raised money from his home-town and local media.
“John was incredible,†Kay recalls. “He had done his national service in the desert years ago and his dream was always to go back to the desert, but there’s no way that he could have afforded to go on his own.
“When he finished the trip, I saw a tear coming down his cheek and heard him say to himself: ‘Well John, you’ve done it’. To see him make that journey was just astonishingâ€.
Kay set up Redventure after partaking in a dog-sledding charity event nine years ago, following the death of her father and divorce from her husband.
“I knew how much the treks had helped me, so I wondered if I could do something for a charity that’s close to my family’s heartsâ€
She says: “I’d been through an awful year and I’d become overweight from the stress, so the minute I signed up for the dog-sledding I started going to the gym and got really fit. It really helped me; it fulfilled my dream.
“As soon as I got home, I signed up for a trip to the Great Wall of China for the following year. And after that, because I knew how much the treks had helped me, I wondered if I could do something for a charity that’s close to my family’s hearts, so I set up Redventureâ€.
She says that for some people, their involvement is not necessarily about the charity, but is more about completing a challenge that they’ve always wanted to achieve.
Kay partakes in all of the ventures, and has done dog-sledding, Kilimanjaro and the Sahara desert several times.
“I try to inspire people and help as much as I can,†she says. “I try to make it less daunting. A lot of people have never even camped before, which is similar to my situation nine years ago when I did my first trekâ€.
Despite this, Kay insists that some aspects of the trips never get easier, particularly reaching altitude on Everest Base Camp. She has also set herself personal challenges, such as going to the North and South Poles in an attempt to discover new locations to add to Redventure’s destinations.
“I was at the North Pole and the ice started to crack around meâ€, she remembers. “I just thought: ‘This is it, I’m in trouble this time’.
However, some of Kay’s other experiences have been much more positive, and will stay with her forever.
“The first time I went dog-sledding, I found myself completely on my own at one point,†she says. “The sun was shining and all I could hear was the pitter-patter of the dogs’ feet on the snow.
“I really felt that my Dad was with me and I had tears rolling down my cheeks. I just thought: ‘I can’t believe I’m doing this’.
“But out of everything, the most memorable moments are meeting people from different cultures, such as people from China, Nepal and Africa. It makes me really appreciate how lucky I am to live in a developed countryâ€.
Kay’s son, Lee White, aged 25, has also participated in Redventure’s trips. He climbed Kilimanjaro two years ago and is going dog-sledding in Sweden next year.
Lee’s father, Kay’s ex-husband, was diagnosed with Leukaemia five years ago. Due to advanced research from Cure Leukaemia, he is now in full remission, but Kay remembers telling Lee and her daughters Lara, aged 18, and Nina, aged 20, the initial bad news.
“It was just absolutely devastating for everybody,†she says. “You take certain things for granted, like him being there to walk his daughters down the aisle, and suddenly all those things might never happenâ€.
Blood cancer, also known as leukaemia, is caused by increased numbers of white blood cells in the blood and bone marrow. It cannot currently be cured, but Kay assures that researchers at the Cure Leukaemia Centre are incredibly close to making a break-through.
“Sometimes it can only buy people another two or three years, but those two or three years make a differenceâ€
Patients in remission no longer show signs of carrying the cancer, but must continually undergo blood tests to monitor this.
“Can you imagine living with that?†Kay asks: “Knowing that you have to keep going for tests and keeping your fingers crossed that they’re not going to find it again?â€
Funding from Redventure has resulted in improved facilities at Birmingham’s Cure Leukaemia Centre, more research nurses and a new blood counts machine. Previously, leukaemia patients had to wait for blood test results, but Redventure has ensured that this process is now immediate.
Kay adds: “Because it’s a research centre, the drugs that are developed throughout the drug companies can be used immediately with the patients. It really does put people into remission. Sometimes it can only buy people another two or three years, but those two or three years make a differenceâ€.
Since it opened, the Cure Leukaemia Centre has received £11million worth of treatments from drug companies, and research is shared throughout hospitals across the UK and Europe. Many people can now be treated as out-patients at the centre, rather than staying in hospital to undergo invasive, complex therapies.
Run by Professor Charles Craddock, the centre has also become a Centre of Excellence within Europe, and is used by seven thousand patients each year. The closest alternative Centre of Excellence is in Texas, America.
“Every patient I’ve ever met has just blown me away with their strength and determination. They really are an inspirationâ€
Symptoms of leukemia vary amongst people, and some don’t have any symptoms at all in the early stages, but they can include excessive bleeding, tiredness and increased susceptibility to infections. Cancer cells can also infiltrate organs and lead to swelling.
Despite this, Kay says that she has never met a patient who felt sorry for themselves: “Every patient I’ve ever met has just blown me away with their strength and determination,†she says. “They really are the inspiration for the treksâ€.
When the hikes become difficult and people begin to feel like giving up, Kay reminds them of the patients and the reasons for doing the treks.
“Whilst climbing Kilimanjaro a few years ago, we all began to find it incredibly difficult,†she says. “But prior to going up the mountain, I had spoken about a patient called Claire. She was 25 years old, and the bouts of chemotherapy she was having were making her so poorly, and her legs were so swollen that she couldn’t get out of bed.
“But she was still making hand-made cards to sell at Christmas to raise money for the charity. She wasn’t thinking of herself; she was thinking about what she could do to help others, and I just thought: ‘If Claire can do that, we can put one foot in front of the other’â€.
Unfortunately, Claire lost her battle with leukaemia and never had the chance to hear the tales from the Kilimanjaro trip. It’s a sad reality that some patients lose their lives to the disease, but with continued efforts from Cure Leukaemia, the amount of suffering will continue to reduce.
Redventure helps participants to raise money to attend the trips in a variety of ways, offering advice and guidance throughout the process.
Adventures for 2009 include the Sahara trek, Kilimanjaro, dog-sledding in Sweden and the Inca Trail trek in Machu Picchu.
For more information, visit redventure.org and cureleukaemia.co.uk.
View the Redventure photo gallery at: http://www.femalefirst.co.uk/slideshow/Red+Venture+-+Cure+Leukemia-556_home.html
By Kay Taylor
Each year, hundreds of people experience some of the world’s ultimate adventure challenges in a bid to raise money for Cure Leukaemia.
Redventure offers people the opportunity to fulfil their dreams of dog-sledding in Sweden, trekking through the Sahara desert, hiking up Kilimanjaro, venturing to Everest Base Camp and walking along the Great Wall of China to support the charity.
“Redventure fulfils people’s dreams and ambitionsâ€Founder, Kay White
Founder of the charity treks, Kay White, says: “Redventure fulfils people’s dreams and ambitions, and the most wonderful thing about it, is that whilst they are doing something extraordinary for themselves, they are also helping hundreds of people through Cure Leukaemiaâ€.
Kay, aged 45, set up Redventure four years ago to raise money for the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Cure Leukaemia Centre in Birmingham. Her friend and ex-husband are both diagnosed with the cancer, and Kay wanted to contribute towards a cause that is so close to her heart.
Approximately three hundred people have been involved in Redventure’s treks so far, each raising thousands of pounds to donate to the charity through fund-raising schemes.
John, aged 72-year from Wales, participated in the Sahara desert trip and raised money from his home-town and local media.
“John was incredible,†Kay recalls. “He had done his national service in the desert years ago and his dream was always to go back to the desert, but there’s no way that he could have afforded to go on his own.
“When he finished the trip, I saw a tear coming down his cheek and heard him say to himself: ‘Well John, you’ve done it’. To see him make that journey was just astonishingâ€.
Kay set up Redventure after partaking in a dog-sledding charity event nine years ago, following the death of her father and divorce from her husband.
“I knew how much the treks had helped me, so I wondered if I could do something for a charity that’s close to my family’s heartsâ€
She says: “I’d been through an awful year and I’d become overweight from the stress, so the minute I signed up for the dog-sledding I started going to the gym and got really fit. It really helped me; it fulfilled my dream.
“As soon as I got home, I signed up for a trip to the Great Wall of China for the following year. And after that, because I knew how much the treks had helped me, I wondered if I could do something for a charity that’s close to my family’s hearts, so I set up Redventureâ€.
She says that for some people, their involvement is not necessarily about the charity, but is more about completing a challenge that they’ve always wanted to achieve.
Kay partakes in all of the ventures, and has done dog-sledding, Kilimanjaro and the Sahara desert several times.
“I try to inspire people and help as much as I can,†she says. “I try to make it less daunting. A lot of people have never even camped before, which is similar to my situation nine years ago when I did my first trekâ€.
Despite this, Kay insists that some aspects of the trips never get easier, particularly reaching altitude on Everest Base Camp. She has also set herself personal challenges, such as going to the North and South Poles in an attempt to discover new locations to add to Redventure’s destinations.
“I was at the North Pole and the ice started to crack around meâ€, she remembers. “I just thought: ‘This is it, I’m in trouble this time’.
However, some of Kay’s other experiences have been much more positive, and will stay with her forever.
“The first time I went dog-sledding, I found myself completely on my own at one point,†she says. “The sun was shining and all I could hear was the pitter-patter of the dogs’ feet on the snow.