‘Walking has saved his life’

An infection in the husband heart left Mark Dawn n Hollingsworth’s withered, weak and close to death. But during six harrowing months, neither forgot their dream of one day returning to the South West Coast Path – a wish that’s now become reality.

‘We retired early and began the epic challenge of walking the 630-mile South West Coast Path (SWCP). We walked out of Minehead in June 2021 filled with trepidation and excitement. We travelled down to the path each month until October, by which point we’d covered 260 miles of it, and we were hooked!

‘But Mark began feeling more and more exhausted, and a few weeks later he had difficulty breathing and was rushed to hospital with a life threatening condition called infective endocarditis – an infection that settles in the heart. He didn’t come out for three months, lost almost three stone, and had open heart surgery. The surgeon said he was only a couple of hours away from death. Due to Covid, I wasn’t allowed to visit for the majority of the three months, but #walk1000miles gave me something to focus on. Every day I took off with one rule – for the first 20 minutes I would only think about the things I could see, hear and smell. These walks saved my sanity. There’s no better therapy than walking!

‘Mark returned home in February a shadow of his former self, unable even to put his own socks on. When he was very ill we’d recall a time we were struggling on the SWCP – the hill was so high and steep, and we were ready to admit defeat. Then we remembered that just because something is difficult, that’s no reason to quit.

‘Mark started recording his miles on 1st March and we walked daily, building up to 10 miles a day. It’s amazing what you can do one step at a time. He never lost the dream of wanting to return to the SWCP. In June 2022, we made it, covering Clovelly to Crackington Haven in four days. It gave us emotions impossible to describe. As we rested on a bench overlooking the sea among wildflowers, listening to birdsong and the crashing waves, Mark declared there was nowhere on Earth he’d rather be, and how good it was to be alive. Yes!

‘Joining #walk1000miles is the best thing I’ve ever done. It’s never just been about walking a certain path or covering a certain distance. It’s a yearning to not only live, but to feel alive. Mark’s surgeon said his recovery has been remarkable, mainly due to walking himself so fit before his illness. Walking has saved his life!’

‘The surgeon said he was only a couple of hours away from death’