Finally, after all the months of training
and fund raising, the great day has arrived. I set off from
Exeter coach station on a cold November day to embark on my
“impossible” dream – to take part in the Women for Women
Cycle India 2006 Challenge for a charity very close to my
heart, to help raise funds to train women doctors to
specialise in women’s health and fertility problems.
I met up with one of my fellow cyclists at London Heathrow
(which was very crowded and so noisy after rural Devon) for
our onward flight to Delhi.
Once
in India, after boarding several coaches, our cycling team
set off for Agra – our first overnight stop before the hard
work began. The drive was long and slow and such a culture
shock. People live their lives and run businesses at the
side of the road. Animals were everywhere along with
cyclists, camels pulling carts, cycle rickshaws and motor
bikes with ladies in saris riding side-saddle.
After the long drive we arrived at our
hotel and were met by the staff with marigold garlands for
us all.
An early start the next day for our morning
visit to the Taj Mahal in Agra where we saw the lawns being
mowed by an oxen drawn mower! It was then back to the hotel
for the very important bike fitting in readiness for our
start in the morning.
After another early start and long coach ride we reached our
starting point where we were blessed by a Holy Man before
our departure.
The countryside was flat to start off with, with irrigated
fields full of crops, lots of peacocks and wild antelope.
The first village we rode through was horrendous and then it
got worse; huge pot-holes full of muddy, soupy water with
rubbish everywhere. Lots of people came out to greet us on
the way and called out greetings to us – children want to
practice English. We arrived at our camp site in the grounds
of a school for girls with lovely tents and en-suite bucket
toilets and washing facilities!
The next day was another very early start -
only one village with “soupy” puddles but with some
horrendous bumps which upset my right hip as I had pulled a
muscle quite badly on a training ride in October -
painkillers kept me going though. Riding through the
beautiful countryside reminded me of the South of France but
with exotic Temples, wild antelope and colourful birds. Lots
of wonderful camels hauling carts full of very heavy stone.
After many punctures, kilometres of bumps
and potholes and steep hills our last day of cycling came.
We set off from our desert campsite down a lovely, long hill
and then through undulating countryside with small rural
villages. With about 1 km to the finish we stopped to
regroup so we could ride in pairs to the finishing line. It
was very emotional to finish our ride where we were given
marigold garlands again, a medal and a glass of champagne!
With a lovely lunch inside us we took our
saddles and other personal bits from our bikes and sadly
said goodbye to them as they were piled into a lorry. We set
off in our coach back to Jaipur driving through a town with
an enormous cattle market with hundreds of water buffalo
wearing fancy halters and garlands.
Our hotel in Jaipur was very comfortable. I
phoned home from the hotel reception but couldn’t speak for
crying. After eating our evening meal sitting on soft
chairs, we all went to bed early and very tired.
The day before we flew home we had another long coach
transfer to a restaurant for our celebration meal. Some of
the ladies dressed up in the Indian fashions bought in the
local bazaars. During the meal one of the charity organisers
(Penny Cooke) announced that we had raised over £280,000 for
Women for Women.
We are now into 2007 and I am still enjoying my cycling. I
am so glad I had my hips resurfaced and got my fitness and
life back.
The whole India experience was amazing. I enjoyed all the
training and met some interesting people. Saw allsorts of
wild life and wonderful countryside. The camaraderie with
the other girls during the ride itself was great. The
fantastic amount of money we raised for our “Women for
Women” charity was a great achievement.
My next target is Cycle Cuba 2008 for the same charity.
Gill,
60, now retired enjoys gardening, walking her dog, cycling, swimming, painting
and DIY.
Before the operation my life was governed by the pain from my hips. Generally my
health was good but physical activity was getting very difficult. My doctor and
a consultant in Exeter said I was too young for conventional total replacement
hips. By this time I had had to give up work (sales and delivery driving a van
all over Devon and Cornwall). We had to change our car to an automatic as my
left leg could not operate the clutch safely. I would depress the clutch then
not be able to move for the pain, this was very frightening and of course
dangerous. The pain experienced when moving from sitting or lying down to
standing would make me cry out loud. My hips had no sideways movement but I
could still walk short distances once I got moving. By this time I was taking
pain killers, anti-arthritis drugs and a muscle relaxant to help me sleep. I was
also lying on an extra quilt with a pillow under my knees to get any comfort.
After seeing a program on local TV about the Life Boat Skipper from Falmouth who
had both of his hips resurfaced we investigated the Corin Hip Resurfacing
procedure and contacted them for surgeons in our area. From then I had a
consultation with Mr Mark Norton at the Duchy Hospital in Truro who said I was
an ideal case for Hip Resurfacing. Although originally he planned to do a
bi-lateral procedure (both hips at the same time), the week before my operation
he had fresh guide lines to follow and did them separately.
My left hip was the first to be done on 15th November 2003. When the physio
did sideways abduction for the first time it was amazing. My leg hadn’t moved
sideways like that for years. Recovery was slowed down because I had a drop foot
after the operation due to stretching of the sciatic nerve. I had to be fitted
with a splint for walking and climbing stairs and this was achieved within six
days. With permission from Mr Norton I drove the car after six weeks as it was
an automatic.
My right hip was done the following May (2004) and this time I had no problems
at all post-op.
I climbed stairs and had a shower in four days and went home on the fifth.
Driving took longer this time but general mobility was quicker. I was walking my
dog (on crutches with him off his lead) after three weeks. By September 2004 I
drove from Santander to Barcelona and had a quite active sightseeing holiday.
This year I have driven to Florence, Italy via the French Riviera, returning via
Venice and the French Alps.
I have a large garden and do all the grass cutting, pruning and weeding myself
and have laid paving stones and made a new concrete step this year.
My son moved into a new flat and I helped with the move and did a lot of the
painting and decorating.
At the moment I am concentrating on getting fit enough for a sponsored cycle
ride across India by doing all my usual activities plus more cycling, swimming
and aerobics.
Doing this sponsored cycle ride means a lot to me from my personal experience of
miscarriage, then having a baby girl with congenital heart problems who died
aged three years. The chance to help other women achieve normal pregnancies and
have healthy babies is a very worthwhile challenge. I was very lucky I got
pregnant again and have a lovely son who is now 25.
The operations have given me my life back to enjoy to the full. Now I can do
anything I want. This sponsored cycle ride would have been impossible dream but
now it can be reality.
