Walking for John
Our Samaritan colleague John 860 waited for a heart transplant for some considerable time; he was brave and stoic and a very gentle man.
Sadly John died shortly after receiving his new heart. His friends at Halifax & Calderdale Samaritans wanted to celebrate John's life by arranging a walk from Todmorden to Brighouse in West Yorkshire to raise funds for Wythenshawe Hospital where John had spent his last months.
We couldn't have had a better day for the walk, beautiful sunshine, hot but not too hot to make the walk uncomfortable. The weather and the company made it an absolute pleasure, topped off with the knowledge that we were raising funds for a charity that was so important to a fellow Sam. John860 had had his transplant at this point but died seven weeks after transplant on the 31st May as pneumonia and other issues became too great for his body to cope with. He did so much to raise awareness about organ donation and we were delighted to raise over £1000 on his behalf. The walk will take place again next year in his memory.
The 'walkers' raising a magnificent sum
A well desrved drink and a toast to John