Our Family Trek for Natalie – The W Trek in Patagonia

Living in a happy house has always been so important to me; hence, when we started, I wanted to name the company something that was so special and encompassed us as a family. A happy house is one full of love, laughter and happiness and most often health, which is taken for granted. It is only when life throws you a curveball and health is taken away from you that this house you built of love is needed more than ever.

5 years ago, Natalie started to become unwell, at a time when COVID struck and we were all staying at home. This was, on one hand, a blessing as we were all together to be able to help and support, but on the other hand, where the NHS system already on its knees, navigating specialists and medicine was not an easy task!

Natalie was diagnosed with both CNS Vasculitis and MS, similar inflammatory illnesses that affect the brain and major organs. It was a blow and a shock to the system, but being the fighter she is, we battled on. We tried many medications and new treatments, unfortunately, all of which didn’t work and slowly took their toll on Natalie's health, and every day was becoming a harder and harder battle.

Last year, we had the option of trying a stem cell transplant where the plan was to reboot Natalie's immune system with a 70% success rate. As she had declined rapidly for the 6 months previous, we had to take those odds. Although this meant a long 1 year plan involving Chemo and long hospital stays, and isolation due to a weakened immune system, it was a shot worth taking. If I told you of a 70% chance of winning the lottery you would buy lots of tickets but unfortunately, this means there is still 30 in every 100 people it doesn’t work for - they don’t win. After 18 months post-treatment, it was devastating news to find out we were in the minority.

Natalie has continued to decline, and we are facing harder battles week by week. She has some amazing carers and we are all doing everything we can to help and make her as comfortable as possible at such a difficult time.

A few months ago, I talked to the girls about maybe us doing some kind of fundraising to help not only Natalie but other people suffering with this cruel illness, we just didn’t know what to do … This was until a geography lesson my daughter was in, which showed the Patagonian glaciers found in South America … fast forward a few internet searches and the rest is history 

So next year, my two daughters and I are taking on the incredible W Trek in Patagonia – one of the world’s most breathtaking and challenging hiking routes – to raise money for the Chilterns Neuro Centre, a charity that means a great deal to our family.

Throughout this journey, the Chilterns Neuro Centre has been a constant source of support – offering practical help, therapy, advice, and community for people living with neurological conditions like MS, and for the families who love and care for them.

 

We want to do something positive, something that reflects the strength, courage, and determination that Natalie shows every single day. So, we’ll be trekking over 80km through the wild landscapes of Patagonia – mountains, glaciers, and windswept valleys – to raise funds and awareness for the incredible work the Centre does.

Every donation, no matter how small, will help the Chilterns Neuro Centre continue to provide life-changing support for people like Natalie.

If you can spare anything at all, we would be so grateful. As my youngest daughter said, if everyone in the UK gave 1p then we would raise £800,000! We would also love you to share this blog and our link and help spread the word far and wide!

https://www.justgiving.com/page/phillipsfamilypatagonia-1

Our Family Trek for Natalie – The W Trek in Patagonia fundraiser for Chilterns Neuro Centrejustgiving.com

We’ll be walking for her, and for everyone living with MS.

Thank you so much for your support❤️