The Heelers

In my first blog post earlier this week, I mentioned that when I was first asked to join the Winchester Hospital Heelers’ team, I had no intention of walking 60 km in The Weekend to End Women’s Cancers. The Heelers’ enthusiasm was contagious, however, and before long I found myself registering for the event and getting swept up in the team’s fundraising events.

What is it about this group of people that makes being part of the team so special? To be honest, I can’t put my finger on any one thing. I mean, we’re all different ages (we range in age from 17 to 60+), and we’re from different backgrounds, with different family situations, professions and – yes, personalities. Some of us joined because we had friends on the team; others joined without knowing a single person. The amazing thing is that it really doesn’t seem to matter who you know or why you joined – the Heelers are the most welcoming group of people I have ever been associated with. We’re a team, we have a purpose, and we have a blast together.

Being a ‘Heeler’ has perks! The best one, I have to say, is the food. Seriously! We’ve made it a point to ensure that each training walk is followed by a pot-luck meal…and we’ve all discovered the most wonderful recipes at those meals! We have great cooks on this team, so the rule was set early on that recipes MUST be shared. (I remember one member who was given until sundown on the day of a training walk to share a particular grape salad recipe, or suffer the consequences! I’m not really sure what the consequences would have been… but I’m happy to report that we all have the recipe, and we DID receive it before sundown. :-)

I guess what makes our team special is that, during the time we spend planning and hosting our fundraising events and on our training walks (more to come about that part of this undertaking tomorrow!), we take the time to really get to know each other. There’s just no way you can be part of an experience like this without developing a very special bond. We’ve laughed together like we’ve never laughed before… celebrated weddings and new babies together…and cried together when a loved one fell seriously and irreparably ill.

I am honoured to be a part of this group, and so very proud to call them my friends.