A Llanelli woman has completed a 21-mile hike across the Gower Peninsula to raise awareness of amyloidosis in memory of her grandfather, who died from the rare condition in 2021. Through the challenge, Mari Wright raised £348 for the Royal Free Charity – the only charity in the UK directly supporting the National Amyloidosis Centre.
Known to Mari as Datcu, the Welsh word for grandad, Christopher retired early to care for her when she was just one year old. Years later, Mari took on the gruelling challenge to honour the man who had been by her side throughout her childhood and turn her grief into something positive.
Joined by her mam, the challenge gave them an opportunity to celebrate Christopher’s life, sharing memories and laughter while raising awareness of a condition Mari had never heard of before it affected her family.
Mari said: “My datcu was an incredibly kind, humble and funny man who was loved not only by his family, but by the wider community too.
“He was someone I spent so much of my time with and someone I learnt an enormous amount about life from.”
Growing up with Datcu
Some of Mari’s happiest memories are of visiting friends with Christopher, going out for lunch and learning to play the piano with him.
Christopher’s generosity extended beyond his family. At Christmas, a time of year they both loved, he regularly gave to charities.
“His kindness and generosity were simply part of who he was.”
Losing Datcu
Christopher was admitted to the Prince Phillip Hospital in Llanelli in February 2021. With pandemic restrictions in place, his family could not visit for the first three weeks and had to rely on Zoom calls to see and speak to him.
His final wish was to go home, and, on 21 March, his family were able to bring him back. He died at home on 25 March, surrounded by the people he loved.
“There is something comforting about knowing that his final days were spent somewhere familiar, with the people who loved him around him,” Mari said.
Before it affected Christopher, Mari had never heard of amyloidosis – a rare, often fatal disease, caused by an accumulation of protein fibres, amyloid, in the body. The experience left her wanting to raise greater awareness of the condition.
“The more people who know about amyloidosis, the better the understanding of the condition can become,” she said.
“If sharing Datcu’s story and raising money can contribute in even a small way towards that, then it makes taking on the challenge even more meaningful to me.”
Taking on 21 miles
Mari found Beat the Gower on social media and decided to take on the 21-mile route, despite never having attempted anything like it before.
The challenge crosses the Gower Peninsula and includes Rhossili Bay. Walking felt particularly fitting because Mari remembers climbing Pen y Fan with her datcu as a child, the highest peak in south Wales and southern Britain, standing at 886 metres above sea level. She was joined by her mam.
“Datcu was such an important person to both of us, so being able to take on the challenge together and raise money in his memory was really special.” Mari said.
There was significance in the two of them walking together too. Christopher had retired early to care for Mari so her mam could return to work. Years later, they were side by side again, this time walking in his memory.
“That sounded just like him.”
The hike took them across mountains, woodland and beaches, with the hardest moment arriving around mile 15.
Having crossed Whitford Beach, they faced an uphill climb through sand with 15 miles already in their legs.
“Knowing that every mile was helping to raise money and awareness for amyloidosis gave me the motivation to keep going” Mari said.
Throughout the day, Mari talked about her datcu with her mam, sharing memories and imagining what he would have said about their challenge.
“I feel that a lot of my sense of humour came from Datcu, and there were little jokes and comments I made along the way where I found myself thinking, ‘That sounded just like him.’
“Those moments made us laugh and brought back so many memories of his personality and the humour we shared.”
A cwtch and a “da iawn” at the finish
By the finish line, what stayed with Mari most was the feeling that her datcu had somehow accompanied them.
“When we reached the end, I felt a real sense of a big cwtch and a ‘da iawn’ from my datcu,” Mari said, using the Welsh words for a comforting hug and “well done”.
“After spending the day talking about him, remembering our adventures and laughing about the things he would have said, it felt like he had been with us in some way throughout the whole 21 miles.
“I hope that he was proud of both of us.”
Turning grief into something positive
Mari raised £348 for the Royal Free Charity through the challenge, while also finding a positive way to remember Christopher.
“Beyond the money we raised, the challenge gave me a way of doing something positive with the grief of losing my datcu,” she said.
And she hopes her experience might resonate with others who are grieving.
“Remembering someone doesn’t always have to be surrounded by sadness. During the hike, Mam and I talked about Datcu constantly. We shared stories, laughed about the things he would have said and remembered the adventures we’d had together.
“Those moments made us feel close to him again.”
| [donate]
| Help keep news FREE for our readersSupporting your local community newspaper/online news outlet is crucial now more than ever. If you believe in independent journalism,then consider making a valuable contribution by making a one-time or monthly donation. We operate in rural areas where providing unbiased news can be challenging. |
