Vicki’s Journey: From Battling Cancer to Conquering the Cleveland Way – A Powerful Story of Resilience, Recovery, and the Transformative Power of Hiking

Meet Vicki, a truly inspiring individual who has transformed life’s most challenging moments into a remarkable story of resilience, courage, and boundless passion. Her journey is not just about survival—it’s about empowerment, self-discovery, and proving that triumph is possible even in the face of great adversity. As a loyal Macs customer, Vicki shares how our adventures have been a steadfast companion on her extraordinary path. 

I was so excited. It was September 2018 and my husband, Olaf, and I had just booked a Macs Adventure to walk the Cleveland Way. We would leave the Australian winter in 2019 and head for a UK summer to walk the 110-mile horseshoe-shaped trek through the Yorkshire moors, then along the North Sea coast. 

With eight months’ lead-time, there was oodles of training I could do to add to my average fitness level to make sure I would be ‘hike’ ready. Having done several multiday hikes before, I knew the more physically prepared I was, the better. I’d workout on my exercise bike, take the dog for extended walks, climb plenty of stairs, and do a few day hikes of around 6 to 9 miles. Yep, there was plenty of time. 

Until a few weeks later I got the phone call nobody wants. I had breast cancer. Immediately I was plunged into a whirlwind of appointments, body scans, a right breast mastectomy, then six months of grueling chemotherapy. Yet repeatedly the same question kept springing to mind – would I still be able to walk the Cleveland Way just six weeks post-treatment? You bet I could! 

With this powerful goal deep within me, the relentless days of awful side effects from treatment took a back seat as I forced myself to exercise. Some days it was an enormous battle to manage even 10 minutes on the exercise bike, but other days I could tackle multiple flights of stairs, always with a single-minded focus on making it to Helmsley - the start of the walk. Then, surprisingly I discovered the more physical exertion I put myself through the less nauseous I felt, it reduced the feeling of having lead-filled legs, eased the peripheral neuropathy (tingling/burning) in my fingers and toes, and gave me a sense of being somewhat in control. It was a glimmer of light throughout a bleak and exhausting time. 

On my final day of chemo I rang the bell to symbolize the end of that chapter, with some medicos dubious about my capacity to undertake the Macs Adventure. One oncology nurse even said, “Most people celebrate the end of chemo with a massage or relaxing holiday, not by walking 110 miles.” But I was going to give it a try, with Olaf by my side every step of the way. 

So, in July 2019 we started the Cleveland Way in Helmsley and nine days later finished in Filey, with a few challenges along the way. But what I discovered, again, was the healing power of exercise and in particular walking in nature. During those nine days, I became physically stronger, mentally sharper, emotionally freer, and enjoyed significant hair growth which had noticeably accelerated. Pardon the pun, but this was the icing on the cake! It was all thanks to walking - all thanks to Olaf’s support - and thanks to Macs for taking care of all the trip’s details. 

Fast forward five years, a critical timeframe for cancer survival, and Olaf and I were looking for another overseas hiking challenge to mark the milestone. We’d endured COVID lockdowns which meant being restricted to hiking in Australia, and we didn’t venture too far when deciding on a multi-day trip in New Zealand. We’d walk the Queen Charlotte Track in October 2023 and, of course, it was a no-brainer to book with Macs Adventure. As this was our first big international hike since tackling the Cleveland Way, I was a bit nervous about my physicality. I launched into a daily training routine, again knowing every little bit helps, and again knowing there are so many health benefits – some obvious, some almost magical – in being physical and immersing yourself in nature.  

We loved everything about the 44-mile hike from Picton. The connection to nature, to people, and to each other was incredible, and the sense of physical achievement – having overcome self-doubt – was extremely powerful. It cemented my belief, through the setbacks of cancer surgery and treatment, of the importance of having a goal to strive for, particularly one which involves physical activity. If I can do it, it’s definitely achievable.