A life-changing journey to raise money for hospice
Linda is also taking on the challenge to help raise funds for the place where her dad spent the last days of his life, Stepping Stone Hospice.
IT will soon be a year since Linda Keiser (42), from Benoni, lost her dad, Colin (63), to brain cancer. And, as a tribute to him, and a personal challenge to herself, Linda will be embarking on a gruelling 10-day, 256 kilometre endurance hike from Calvinia to Ceres, through one of the most parched regions in South Africa, the Tankwa Karoo.
Another aim of her journey is to raise funds for the place where her dad spent the last days of his life, Stepping Stone Hospice’s in-patient unit, in New Market Park, Alberton.
“I want to thank the beautiful, selfless people at Stepping Stone Hospice for caring for my dad by helping to raise a substantial amount for their building expansion,” says Linda. “My dad couldn’t talk in his last days, so I want to say ‘thank you’ on his behalf to every person there for their patience, their honesty, their love and for helping my dad die with dignity. Stepping Stone Hospice would be my choice if I ever needed it, and doing the Tankwa Camino to help them continue with their selfless dedication to others is the biggest expression of gratitude I can think of.”
The Tankwa Camino is a modern day “Great Trek” which takes participants through the starkly beautiful Tankwa Karoo.
Many of the people who embark on the Tankwa Camino see it as a way to ‘unplug’ from their daily lives. And, as someone who makes a living behind a camera, recording other people’s journeys, Linda says she is looking forward to “finding peace and finding myself again, as I also overcome the obvious physical challenges that this experience will bring.”
Colin died on April 8, 2016, and the hike begins on March 31, which means Linda will still be walking on the anniversary of his death.
“Losing my dad was one of the toughest things I’ve ever been through. No one knows what it’s like to lose a parent until it actually happens. My father was nomad, an adventurer and a traveller. It was nothing to him to get up in the morning and suddenly decide to ride somewhere for the day on his motorbike. He wasn’t your average man and it’s as if I can feel him pushing me to do this.”
If you’d like to sponsor Linda, please make an EFT donation directly to the Stepping Stone Hospice bank account:
Stepping Stone Hospice, ABSA, Branch code: 632005, Account no: 4086095643, Ref: TANKWA CAMINO
(Email your proof of payment, your full name and contact details to finance@steppingstonehospice.co.za).
“No amount is too big or too small,” says Linda. “You can give one lump-sum donation or sponsor me per kilometre, per step, per minute or even per second walked! All of it will go directly to Stepping Stone Hospice.”
Stepping Stone CEO Tersia Burger says: “We are truly humbled and grateful for Linda’s efforts on our behalf and we wish her a safe and soul-enriching journey.”
To learn more about the Tankwa Camino, visit https://www.tankwacamino.com/
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