Sahara Desert trek for widow in memory of Swindon cancer victim

Sinead Nolan-Martin and her cousin Siobhan Smith - a nurse on a cardiac ward who has cared for end-of-life patients - will be walking 60km across the Sahara Desert and Atlas Mountains in memory of Sinead’s partner Harry.

The epic feat will begin on what would be the couple's second wedding anniversary and fundraise for Prospect Hospice as a way of thanking the Wroughton-based team’s tireless efforts to support the family and look after the 25-year-old in his final days.

Sinead said: “Trying to live each day without Harry is very difficult, so I need to give myself purpose.

“This charity work gives me that focus and makes me feel like I’m carrying on the baton for Harry.

“He was incredible, he touched a lot of lives and we are still doing things to honour him – thank you to the Swindon community for being so generous.”

Harry had planned to start his army career in 2020 but the shock diagnosis of a rare cancer known as glioblastoma multiforme led to him becoming paralysed.

Despite this, he put on a brave face and inspired others with his remarkably positive attitude in the face of this terminal illness.

Sinead added: “He was such a brave, inspirational and determined guy. Even at his absolute worst time, when he was really struggling to function, he put all of his efforts into helping others.”

Prospect’s physiotherapy team and specialist nurses helped provide him with the best possible quality of life in such difficult circumstances.

Harry died at home, surrounded by loved ones, in May 2021, 13 months after his diagnosis.

The Martin family (Image: Sinead Martin)

The hospice has been a constant and invaluable help during a heartbreaking time and continues to support Harry’s relatives through its bereavement support team.

But Prospect is grappling with a funding gap after the pandemic prevented it from hosting the usual fundraising events.

Sinead said: “The idea that people, often at the scariest and most isolating time of their lives, won’t have access to the support they need is utterly distressing. That’s why help is needed urgently.

“It was a desperate time for us and they were a real lifeline, so last Christmas I started thinking about what I could do to help them.

“The Sahara challenge felt special, like an incredible experience to have while raising money for a good cause.”

Another family health emergency put training for the challenge on hold, as a relative dealt with the same type of blastoma that Harry had, but now Sinead is getting ready to set off to Morocco in March after organising Halloween and Christmas fundraisers.

She said: “I’ve been doing a lot of strength-building and walking along a route Harry liked when he was well, between Swindon and Avebury, so it’s like he is with me.

“Being so far from home will be hard. I’m not much of a traveller and it will be entirely unfamiliar, in the middle of the desert, far away from society.

“The heat is going to be the hardest part as Siobhan and I are both fair-skinned, and keeping hydrated is the most important thing, but we will be careful and sensible and have skilled guides looking after us.

She describes caring for her late husband as the greatest privilege of her life and hopes the money raised will ensure anybody who finds themselves in a similar situation will have the resources and people to guide them through it.

Sinead added: “Harry would probably wonder what in the world I’m doing, but I like to think he'd be proud and will be watching over me.”

Visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sahara-trek-in-memory-of-harry