Having long since made the day and a half haul back to Winchester, I can report that I have now reacclimatised myself to my home country, though it was actually more of a culture shock to return and find England unchanged than it was to enter Beijing. Work was a dunk into cold water, and university was a landscape in which nothing had altered, but in which I struggled to find my footing again.
I have survived, and far from quelling my appetite, I am now gripped by an urge to see the rest of the world. I don’t think it will be long before I’m travel writing again.
Now that there is enough distance between me and my adventure, it feels as though I have always been as I am now, but I know that this is not the case. Going to China was a privilege, and an awakening. I returned from my trek feeling stronger than I ever have, and am determined that I will undergo more challenges in the future.
I am, however, aware that the difficulties I faced on my expedition pale before the challenges those with Duchenne face every day. If I am brave for going to China with a group of strangers, then my brother and those in the same boat as him are heroes for the strength and dignity which they demonstrate in the face of constant adversity.
We hope that there will someday be a cure, and to the root of my being I do believe that things are heading in the right direction, but at the moment the day of ultimate victory against this condition is still too far in the future. Battles are being won every day, as Duchenne boys now in most cases survive into adulthood, but the war goes on, and every day this charity needs support to provide more services to the entire Duchenne community.
If you would like to donate to this valuable cause, please visit Action Duchenne at:
https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/donatesteps.aspx?beneficiarycampaignid=536
And if you would like some more information about what Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is, here is a link to Action Duchenne’s description of the condition:
http://www.actionduchenne.org/what-is-duchenne-muscular-dsytrophy/
Thank you so much for reading. Until my next adventure, love to you all.
I have survived, and far from quelling my appetite, I am now gripped by an urge to see the rest of the world. I don’t think it will be long before I’m travel writing again.
Now that there is enough distance between me and my adventure, it feels as though I have always been as I am now, but I know that this is not the case. Going to China was a privilege, and an awakening. I returned from my trek feeling stronger than I ever have, and am determined that I will undergo more challenges in the future.
I am, however, aware that the difficulties I faced on my expedition pale before the challenges those with Duchenne face every day. If I am brave for going to China with a group of strangers, then my brother and those in the same boat as him are heroes for the strength and dignity which they demonstrate in the face of constant adversity.
We hope that there will someday be a cure, and to the root of my being I do believe that things are heading in the right direction, but at the moment the day of ultimate victory against this condition is still too far in the future. Battles are being won every day, as Duchenne boys now in most cases survive into adulthood, but the war goes on, and every day this charity needs support to provide more services to the entire Duchenne community.
If you would like to donate to this valuable cause, please visit Action Duchenne at:
https://cafdonate.cafonline.org/donatesteps.aspx?beneficiarycampaignid=536
And if you would like some more information about what Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is, here is a link to Action Duchenne’s description of the condition:
http://www.actionduchenne.org/what-is-duchenne-muscular-dsytrophy/
Thank you so much for reading. Until my next adventure, love to you all.
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