Thirty friends and colleagues have completed a fundraising walk to raise money in support of an Altrincham woman who was diagnosed with terminal bowel cancer just two weeks after her dream wedding last year.
Helen Hulme (now Denny), who is 51 today, married Paul in a fairytale wedding held in Florence on September 9th 2017.
But after returning from honeymoon she was taken ill at work and subsequently received the devastating diagnosis of bowel cancer that had spread to her liver and lungs.
Described by colleague Steve Dilworth as “the most vibrant, colourful, happy person I have met”, Helen – who has lived in Altrincham all her life – continued to work as an underwriter at insurance company LV despite having been given a life expectancy of just three years.
But after picking up an infection, doctors have decided to stop Helen’s chemotherapy treatment and her condition has now worsened.
A number of Helen’s colleagues and friends recently decided to take on the Yorkshire Three Peaks Challenge, an arduous 24-mile hike over the peaks of Pen-y-ghent, Whernside and Ingleborough.
Steve Dilworth said: “In the end we had 30 people take part in the event, even family and friends who weren’t attempting it set up rest points with food and drink which made it feel like a real event.
“Of 25 who attempted it, 22 managed to complete it which considering some had never done anything close to this and the weather was just woeful, it was a fantastic achievement and really showed what Helen meant to them and how important it was to show her their support.
“Helen was in hospital Skype-ing her husband Paul on the day so she felt a real part of it.”
So far, the group has managed to raise over £7,000 for Maggie’s Centres and Macmillan Cancer Care.
Helen’s husband, Paul, said the day had been “very emotional” and thanked all those who had taken part.
“Thank you to each and everyone of you for turning up putting you body on the line and raising funds as you all have done. You will never ever realise how much it means to both Helen and me both overwhelming and humbling.”
Donations can still be made here: https://www.justgiving.com/teams/hike4helen
