Newbury woman takes on sponsored walk for Guys Hospital, in London

Rehabilitation walks around City Recreation Ground see fundraising target smashed

A WOMAN battling cancer has turned her rehabilitation into a bid to raise vital funds for the hospital that saved her life.
Julie Mullis, who lives with husband Steve in Newbury, was diagnosed with lung cancer in September last year and has since undergone two separate operations to remove tumours from both her right and left lungs at Guys Hospital in London.
And now the 72-year-old, who has 13 grandchildren and one great-grandson, is using her daily walks around City Recreation Ground to travel the equivalent of the distance from her home to the London hospital – and is fundraising along the way.
Mrs Mullis, who has previously had breast cancer and also has an eight-inch titanium plate in her back because her spine is crumbling, is facing this latest battle with a smile.
“You have to win the mental battle before you can win the physical one,” she said.
“I had to do some exercise between the two lung operations, but I hate it.
“Guys have given me extra years; the care in the hospital is second to none and I thought I wanted to do the exercise for them.
“If I don’t feel like going out for that walk, I think it’s not for me it’s for Guys and so I do it.
“We go out every day, rain or shine and if I could do more I would.
“I am a stubborn old woman and if I say I will do something, I will do it.”
Mrs Mullis heads out with her husband for the walk every afternoon – after he returns home from his shifts as a volunteer NHS driver.
She set an initial target of £500 but has already exceeded that and is now hoping the total keeps increasing.
“I couldn’t wish for a better husband either; he’s so caring and he gives me every encouragement possible,” Mrs Mullis said.
“Steve has been a brilliant nurse, as I can’t do anything at the moment.
“The cancer is something we have to deal with so we just get on with it.”
The couple are no strangers to fundraising, having previously taken on charity parachute jumps, glider flights and a loop-the-loop in a Tiger Moth, as well as regular events for the RAF Association, as Mr Mullis is a veteran of the service.
From Newbury to Guys Hospital is approximately 70 miles – or 112,654m – and Mrs Mullis said she hopes to complete her own walk there by the end of the year.
To donate to her fundraising you can visit – www.justgiving.com/fundraising/julie-r-mullis