The Woman and Home magazine is now out

The Woman and Home magazine is now out .................... I feel very honoured to be inside this very posh glossy magazine , the story is all about me and 6 other women making time for what is im portan tin our lives i talk about my passion for running so i can keep fit and positive :)

Friday the 20th August

I had a phone message given to me today in work saying that my husband had phoned and was in the local hospital after a visit to the doctor`s .
He had lost the vision in his left eye and was just having it checked but it was to be the biggest shock in our lives he was sent to the hospital where they told him he was now blind in one eye and they couldn`t operate or do anything for him .
He has a heart condtion and it`s connected with that and his age .
His thoughts straight away were what if i were to lose the sight in the other eye .
I was ready for what would come next but it still upset me to hear it ,he said" if i had to go blind or deaf i would rather be deaf ,if i go blind i might as well jump off a cliff,i couldn`t bear it "
He wakes up every morning now wondering if he will be able to see when he opens his eyes .
Ironic ,fate ,call it what you may i have spent the last two years helping ,supporting people on the internet who have RP (Retinitis pigmentosa) an eye disease that results in blindness and have an unofficial degree in this disease and i am well equipped for what he needs if the latter should ever happen but like i said to him ,you have to live for today ,tomorrow is another day and always stay positive :)
I told him if i was to sit down and think what if my tumour grows i would be very depressed so i keep busy and don`t have time to think about me .
He has taken that option and is back at work busy and hopefully will focus on not thinking about the if`s and but`s but live for today and enjoy it !!
Next month i will be climbing the 3 highest mountains in the UK for people who are blind/deaf for the charity Sense .

I thought i had better throw in a couple of pics of the family ,my two sons and the husband of course :)

Last week i was contacted by a journalist from the Woman and Home magazine via charitychallenge for some info about me and my challenges and my new adventure voluntary work in Africa next year .
She is writing a feature about 7 women over 30 something and what they have always wanted to do.

I am travelling to London on Thursday 29th July to have a photo shoot with 7 other women and feel very excited to be made over with make-up ,hair and new clothes,can`t wait!

I also hope the short story they write about me will inspire other people that are confronted with a life threatening condition or disease to try and keep positive:)

In July 2011 i will be flying to Ghana, i am very nervous and very excited about this new project. I have never done anything like this before ............ In Ghana i will be working with children in schools to help them speak the English language and play lots of games and have some fun!!!

Just a few days ago i searched facebook for the charitychallenge page and could see a comment from Sandra Lumbard ,somone i had met and became friends with when i cycled 400 kilometres in India .We had almost lost touch except for the odd email or two but i left a comment about what she had said on the charitychallenge page and added her as a friend . She could see when she excepted my friend request i had made plans to go to Africa next year and asked if she could come with me and now this time next year we will both be going to Ghana in Africa to do some voluntary work helping children in schools and orphanges to speak and write English.

Sandra is the one on the far left of the photo and i am the mad one in the red helmet with a pink scarf around my neck due to all the dust i had a very bad cough and had to keep wrapping the scarf around my mouth :(

Fundraising has gone really well considering i have been doing this for 11 years ,i`m amazed how each year i can still get the support!!

I have reached the £800 mark which is 80% from my target so feeling really pleased and hoping to get some help from a local pub next for the last £200:)

http://www.justgiving.com/Jackie-Meek

A big cheer to my bosses at Superdrug for allowing me to fundraise there ,without this it would of been alot harder for me to raise the money!

Pictured above is me and Mel ,my friend and colleague who will be taking part in the challenge with me :)

Below Mel and i having a bit of fun during a stocktake in work, Mel is the one you can hear in the background :)

I have just recovered from broken toe so training for the 3 Peaks has not been brilliant !

I did start running again just 2 and a half weeks after breaking my little toe but it seems fine now so will have to catch up on some long walks !

Mel and i are really looking forward to our challenge and the flight to Glasgow ,we will make the most of travelling up the day before and take a look around the big city:)

I`m looking forward to meeting the rest of the group, Molly and Jack`s dad`s will be wearing a mankini on the top of Ben Nevis for extra publicity ,can`t wait !!LOL!!! and i`m also looking forward to meeting up with the organisation Charitychallenge again!

My only real concern about this challenge is i get motion sickness and the journey from mountain to mountain is going to be tough for me without being sick :( so i will make sure i get some travel sickness tablets :)