Irene looks forward to her 18th MoonWalk Scotland – as a Walker or Volunteer

“I’ll be taking on the Half Moon (13.1 miles) with my husband Graham at The MoonWalk Scotland in September. It’ll be the 18th time I've been part of The MoonWalk, mostly as a walker, but occasionally as a volunteer.  Over the years, Graham and I have raised a total of more than £23,000 for MoonWalk organisers, breast cancer charity Walk the Walk. We love the charity and the amazing support they help fund for people across Scotland with cancer. We would recommend The MoonWalk to anyone!

Back in 2006, when The MoonWalk Scotland first started, I was working as a classroom assistant in a primary school. I saw the event advertised and mentioned to my colleagues that it looked fun! We wanted to do something to get fit and in the end, it was my friend Yvonne who signed up with me, we did all the training and then completed the Full Moon (26.2 miles) together at that very first MoonWalk Scotland back in 2006.

We had such an amazing night – it really was perfect, even the weather! We didn’t know what to expect – but it was so exciting to be part of it and I really do think it was the excitement which got us through the challenge and the night.  We had such a great time, including a wonderful sunrise at Portabello.

After we finished, we sat down in the Meadows – where The MoonWalk started and finished back then – to take it all in. Because it was the first MoonWalk, nobody really knew what it was going to be like, but everyone was on such a high with adrenalin. It couldn’t have been more perfect that first year and that’s why I decided to do it again – and have been part of The MoonWalk every year since. The MoonWalk really was the event for me! Mostly I’ve taken part as a walker, but on a few occasions, I’ve volunteered. I’ve also completed The MoonWalk London once too.

In February 2012, out of the blue, my sister Helen was diagnosed with breast cancer. I’d already signed up for The MoonWalk Scotland that year as usual, but my husband Graham then told me that he would take part for the first time and that we would both walk for Helen. Training together was so much easier and it was good for both of us in terms of our fitness. He’d been a cyclist all his life, but started walking with me and he now actually says he loves walking much more than he ever loved cycling! He’s totally hooked on walking now because of The MoonWalk.

Doing The MoonWalk in 2012 was very difficult for us, because we were doing it for Helen – she was still in the middle of her treatment at the time of The MoonWalk and had lost all her hair. The weather on the night of the event wasn’t good that year either, it had been very wet and our feet were soaked even before we set off – we really should have changed into dry socks, but we didn’t.

To cut a long story short, because my feet got so wet, I lost 9 toe nails that year. About half way through I told Graham that I was in agony and he said we should stop – I said no way are we stopping, I’m doing this for Helen and if I have to crawl over that line, I’m finishing. So we did finish, but my feet were a real mess. Graham said he didn’t know how I managed to finish – I told him that my sister’s face was in front of me – as though she was standing there, waiting for me. I just had to finish! We were also walking with photos of Helen on our back. It was such a one off in terms of my feet - I’ve never lost a toenail since or even had a blister.

Helen’s doing well now and has a whole new attitude to life – that if you want to do something, you should do it. You shouldn’t put anything off, because you don’t have a clue what’s going to happen tomorrow.

From that year on, Graham has always walked The MoonWalk Scotland with me. Helen still motivates us – when I’m asking for sponsorship, I always mention her and how personal doing The MoonWalk is for us now. Everyone knows someone who has been affected by breast cancer, but when it’s close family who’ve been diagnosed, it takes on a totally different meaning. Many other people we know – both family and friends – have since been affected by breast cancer too, which has brought home to us even more about how essential The MoonWalk is.

If you’re thinking about signing up for The MoonWalk, just do it! The fundraising is so important for us. I continue walking for Helen, but we also walk to help our own health and fitness. We’ve met so many people through The MoonWalk who we still keep in touch with. We just love what we call our MoonWalk family and also the focus on raising money and awareness for breast cancer.

Above all, it’s a fun event, for a very serious cause. The support on the streets of Edinburgh every year is incredible too. The MoonWalk is a way of life for us now and we’ll keep on taking part as long as we can.”

Thank you for sharing your story Irene and we look forward to seeing you and Graham at The MoonWalk Scotland 2024!