On the 4th October 2019, we have a team of 28 people willing to take the 450 ft plunge to abseil down from the i360 in Brighton. The team is made up of people from many walks of life and one of them is Rebecca Duffy, a Radiographer from the Sussex Cancer Centre. Despite her physical challenges, Beccy was one of the first to sign up.
Beccy’s Story
“I was born with a number of faults in my genetic code. One of these affected my collagen and left me with a rare variation of a connective tissue disease called Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. This causes fragility and progressive damage throughout my body but particularly affects my brain, heart, gastrointestinal system, bones, and skin. Another mutation means that I am prone to inflammatory illnesses and led to me developing issues including severe Rheumatoid Arthritis in my twenties. Combined, these meant that my joints were very unstable and painful and after finding walking increasingly difficult over the years I began using a wheelchair around four years ago, allowing me to continue whizzing around the hospital at speed!“
“As a review radiographer, I am in the privileged position of spending time getting to know patients and hopefully helping them through their radiotherapy treatment. As such, I see first hand the difference the Sussex Cancer Fund makes to them. Having spent a lot of time in hospital myself, I know that it’s the little things that make it bearable, and things such as a hot coffee or a comfy chair during chemo make the world of difference to our patients. The fact that the fund also plays such a huge role in the big things too, such as helping to fund the equipment we need to give the most cutting edge radiotherapy techniques, only goes to demonstrate that we could not do the work we do without the work they do. Being notably lacking in both musical talent and running ability, I’m delighted to finally be able to contribute to the fundraising effort!”
If you would like to support Beccy with her #iDropSCF please use the button below.
