Snowdon Challenge

Dr Chinwe Ude works alongside some of our marvellous Roald Dahl Epilepsy Nurses Specialists and will be climbing Snowdon next month to raise donations and awareness for our charity. We spoke with Chinwe about her training and reasons for taking on this marvellous challenge: "I decided to take on the challenge to climb Snowdon. It was initially born from my need to breakdown some physical and mental barriers. To face my anxiety, practice patience and resilience, and build a stronger body. On December 1st, 2022, the challenge started and on June 24th, 2023, I will hopefully have achieved my goal and can then put down my backpack! As I go through training and indeed my daily work life, I think of children and families who have much bigger challenges with their chronic health conditions and who, in contrast, face their challenges with no end date in sight. For them, the challenge was not something they’d planned or wished for. And for many there is no reprieve or escape from it. It is a daily physical and emotional struggle. They are not able to put down their proverbial backpacks…ever! My Snowdon Challenge - every PT session, every mile covered on the treadmill, every breathless ascent up the hills around Kent - is a humble homage to the bigger challenges faced by thousands of children and their families who are living with epilepsy or other neuro-disabilities. They are the unsung, and sometimes unseen, heroes of our communities. I am doing this challenge to draw your attention to Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity, who are committed to supporting these families whatever it takes! Through thick and thin, Roald Dahl Nurse Specialists stand by the children and young people, providing invaluable support and reassurance. They are vital to clinicians like me, because without their help, my clinical reach would be quite limited. So, as you read through this blog, and make a kind donation in support of the charity, please give generously in support of the real unsung, sometimes unseen, heroes many of whom can never be able to put down their backpacks. If you would like to donate to support my challenge, please visit my fundraising page here"