Walking the Camino for Stroke Support
In September this year Les Clarence walked 800km along the
Camino Frances from St Jean Pied de Port in France to Santiago de
Compostela in Spain, whilst raising funds for Synapse.
In 2014 Les had walked the latter stages of the Camino from
Sarria to Santiago de Compostela. The time spent
walking, sometimes alone and at times with
other pilgrims, proved to be a cathartic experience and
helped him to deal with the loss of his wife following a
stroke.
Les' wife was a fit and healthy woman who, without
warning, died of a stroke. The medical staff at the hospital
were marvellous, however there was little advice or support
for the family in understanding what had occurred and
the options available should she recover.
This year he decided that he needed to complete the journey that
was started the previous year and walk the full
Camino Frances. Les saw this walk as an opportunity to
raise funds to provide resources and support to the victims of
stroke and their families.
On completing the walk Les said: "The Camino has provided a
unique opportunity to stop and contemplate my life and to reach a
level of understanding, acceptance and release; to welcome into my
life new friends and acquaintances who have, in their own unique
way, touched my life and contributed to it; to have the time to
really admire the beauty of Mother Nature (my respect for and
attachment to it has always been strong - it is so much stronger
now); to see first hand the resilience of the human spirit and the
amazing capacity of people to overcome adversity; and to begin to
have an understanding of where the future may lay."
"To everyone who donated to Synapse to help the victims of stroke
and their families thank you for your kindness and your generosity.
When things got a little tough, when it hurt and some part of my
body was suggesting strongly that I might want to rethink what I
was doing, your encouragement and your support for both me and
Synapse helped get me through."
Through his efforts, Les managed to raise an incredible $4,800.
On behalf of Synapse we would like to say a big thank you to Les
for choosing to support us. All funds raised will be directed
towards providing resources and support to the
victims of stroke and their families.