I suffer from Survivor Guilt; why did my Dad die from his blood clot while I lived through mine? At the age of 26 I experienced two clots; one in my leg and another in my lung. People tell me ‘You’re lucky to be alive!’ and they are right.Having made it to my 50s, I now live a fuller and more active life than ever before, although most people would say that trekking in the Sahara Desert to raise … raise money for charity was perhaps a step too far!
After being contacted by a friend I last saw 35 years ago, I rashly signed up for this trek which pushed me way beyond my normal limits of endurance.
Join me on my journey through the trials and tribulations of this adventure. Laugh and cry with me; this is my story.
With blood clots, knowing what to look for might save your life or that of someone close to you.
Thrombosis UK works to educate both the public and health professionals to ‘Spot the Clots’.
All profits from sales of this book will be donated to Thrombosis UK.
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Having had a life-threatening health scare at the age of 26 years Dawne sets out to high-light awareness of blood clots and to support Thrombosis UK by going on a fundraising trek through the Sahara Desert. With her childhood friend Sarah, the pair begin training and fundraising the funds to go. This book is well written and takes the reader through the journey Dawne embarks on. However, before they are to set out Dawn experiences a back injury that may put the adventure in jeopardy. Pushing through the pain and with the aid of pain killers and a back brace Dawne doesn’t give up but continues on with her plan. The six-day trek takes the reader through the obstacles, the fun, the challenges, the friendship with Sarah and support of others who are also fundraising their causes by doing the trek. An inspiring read and interesting as the trek go through the country of Morocco, so you also read of the people, the landscape and the culture as well as the challenges faced.
Dawne Archer is a survivor of both a pulmonary embolism and a DVT. Sadly, her father succumbed to a pulmonary embolism at a relatively young age, and Dawne was faced with survivor’s guilt.
Both she and her father were flagged as carriers of Factor V Leiden, which increased their susceptibility to blood clots.
Determined to raise awareness of this hereditary condition, the author decided to embark on a six day fundraising trek in the Moroccan desert. She was joined by her childhood friend.
Although they had trained together in the heat of the Mallorcan sun, neither of them anticipated the challenges they would face, both before and during the trek.
A painful back injury would have deterred many from completing such a challenging walk. However, sheer guts and determination resulted in both an inspiring and transformational journey.
As a carrier of Factor V Leiden, I applaud the author for raising awareness and funding for Thrombosis UK.
They say that every now and then it’s a good idea to get out of your comfort zone and do something you’ve never done before. Dawne Archer certainly did this, when she and an old school friend decided to sign up for a trek across the Sahara Desert to raise funds for Thrombosis UK. Dawne has Factor V Leiden, which means she is more susceptible to blood clots/ deep vein thrombosis, having inherited the gene from both parents (her father died from a blood clot to the lung). She had already suffered a life-threatening thrombosis in her twenties, but now in her fifties she also has other health issues that made her wonder whether in reality she would be able to complete the trek.
With the health problems Dawne had at the time, I would never have even contemplated such an arduous task, but this lady had true grit and a grim determination not to let down her sponsors (all proceeds of the book’s sale go to Thrombosis UK). She and her friend set off with a support team and other more experienced trekkers to discover just what it’s like to walk across the shifting sands of the Sahara Desert in broiling heat. Whether or not she completed the trek you will have to find out for yourself, but the writing is such that you can imagine yourself actually there in amongst the heat, sand, scorpions, blisters, and the endless desert vista stretching for mile after sandy mile.
A recommended 5 star read. Kudos to Ms Archer for having the guts to do something as strenuous as this!