Well, I suppose it had to end sometime! I had obviously expected that I would return to the coastal path the following year, but for some forgotten reason, that turned out not to be practical.
Then the dreaded prostate cancer returned with a vengeance! I have now had this disease for twenty years and have experienced absolutely fabulous treatment from the medical services. I can't even remember the names of all the innovative procedures which have kept the cancer at bay, but in almost every case, I was one of the early users and they all worked, although some more briefly than others. I am now at the end of the line. My consultant has prescribed Chemotherapy and has commented that there is currently nothing much else in the immediate pipeline. I have not reacted well to the Chemo, partly because it has been closely associated with a so-called Gram-negative bug, which has had me in hospital on a number of occasions. Antibiotics are keeping things under control, but the physical side effects of my condition, including loss of weight, debiltating fatigue and sharply deteriorating muscle size and strength, have made me realise that my long distance walking days are over for good.
At the age of almost 74, this is not all that surprising. I had hoped to complete the South West Coast Path as my last long walk, but it is evident that I will not be able to do so. In a strange way, I am at peace with this outcome. Just reading my last post above, I enjoyed the walk so much and yet if I had indeed managed to do the final tour of duty, knowing that it was coming to the end, I think I would have been quite depressed. As it was I actually finished on a high!!
Thank each and every one of you who have endured this drivel. Your messages have been inspiring and in some extraordinary way, you have accompanied me almost physically on the way. Thank you especially to Veronica for enduring my absenses, giving me excellent advice along the way and sometimes physically fascilitating my progress.
So this is Kevin, signing out from his final blog recognising that all good things come to an end, and, to be sure, my walking experiences have been amongst the best times of my life!!
