A daughter who was left devastated by brain cancer is taking on a five-day canoe to help find a cure for the disease.
Heidi Clevett, 34, from Hampshire, is canoeing 100km (62 miles) of The Great Glen Canoe Trail in Scotland from Fort William to Loch Ness, to raise money for research into better treatments for brain tumour patients.
Formed from a geological tear, boasting stunning scenery, the challenge will be far from plain sailing for Heidi who works as the head of technology for the Coast Guard.
The mum of four-year-old Ivy said: “From what other people who have completed the event have told me, Loch Ness is the tricky part as it's super long and isn't very sheltered, so it can get quite choppy. It’s completely different to my days as a dingy instructor and being on a paddleboard which is how I got into water sports. Almost the extreme opposite of my last fundraiser which was a 28-hour non-stop walk along the Isle of Wight coast.”
Heidi, who will be wild camping along the route, will need to average 20km a day as she puts her upper body to the test when her challenge begins on Monday 29th April.
Her challenge is inspired by her mum, Elaine Clevett, who died just four months after she was diagnosed with a glioblastoma (GBM).
Beloved grandmother-of-one Elaine, who lived in Sussex, suffered a stroke following an operation to remove the cancer. She was rushed into surgery for a second time, which left her with significant brain damage and she died in December 2021, aged 60.
Last November, Heidi visited one of the charity’s Centres of Excellence, bearing witness to research into the disease which killed her mum.
She said: “Seeing the research and work being done to help find kinder treatments and ultimately a cure for brain tumours was incredible. The passion of the researchers and scientists empowered me to want to continue fundraising to try and raise enough money to be able to sponsor another day of research.”
To donate to Brain Tumour Research via Heidi’s fundraiser, please visit: www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Heidi-Clevett
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