25ft fall from cliff saved my life
ARETIRED teacher from Ormskirk is fundraising for the North West Air Ambulance Charity, after a CT scan showed he had cancer following an accident in which he was airlifted to hospital.
Graham Sumner, 70, was walking with friends last spring when he fell 25 feet down a sheer cliff near Frodsham, Cheshire.
North West Air Ambulance Paramedics quickly airlifted him to Aintree University Hospital, where his CT scan showed no broken bones, but a 2.5kg malignant tumour on his kidney and several others throughout his body.
Just over a month later, he was back in hospital having the main tumour removed, and he is now making a good recovery.
To raise money and give back to the charity, Graham has signed up for the Mission Walk on September 25.
The Mission Walk will give supporters the chance to raise funds to keep the North West Air Ambulance charity’s helicopters in the air.
Participants can choose between two scenic routes – a challenging, picturesque 10km or a gentler 8.5km family walk – which will take place in Wyresdale Park, near Preston.
Graham said: “I feel like I’ve been given a third chance at life.
“I wanted to raise money for the North West Air Ambulance Charity and the Mission Walk seemed a natural choice, seeing as I had injured myself on a walk – yet it was also strangely the walk that saved my life.”
All walkers will receive a T-shirt they can wear with pride on the day and a medal as a reward for completing their mission.
Entry fee is £15 for an adult raising sponsorship, and £7.50 for children aged 6-15 years.
To register for the Mission Walk, please visit www.nwaa.net/missionwalk or otherwise call the team for further details on 0800 587 4570.