Anna's story - rheumatoid arthritis and trekking to Machu Picchu
Anna Boekweit, a rheumatoid arthritis sufferer for the past
five years, has not let her condition hold her back, managing to
complete the trip of a lifetime, trekking to Machu Picchu in Peru,
in aid of Arthritis Research UK. We reproduce excerpts from her
diary.
As I boarded the plane at Heathrow with 32 strangers the
enormity of my challenge suddenly hit me - I was going to trek the
classic route of the Inca Trail within the Andes mountain range in
Peru. The trail covers 28 miles, which spread over four days does
not sound daunting on paper but take into account the high altitude
and at times very steep climbs and suddenly you are faced with a
challenge of massive proportions.
I survived the first day, but was tired and happy to see the
campsite. We were camped in a valley and as the sun went down
around 6 to 6.30pm the stars came out and I can definitely state I
have never seen such an awesome sight. There were millions of them.
I was awestruck; we could even see the Milky Way. Sleep proved to
be a challenging affair – the slopes coupled with the thought of
day two (widely known to be the ‘killer’ day of the trail) meant
sleep was not easy!
Day two started with a wake up call and a cup of Cocoa Tea at
5.45am. It consisted of crossing Dead Woman’s Pass – steeply
climbing nearly 4,000 feet through forests and plains to
Warmiwañusca pass (13,776 ft). This was by far the most strenuous
challenge I have ever embarked upon and tested the strength of my
legs, my stamina and also my mental strength. It takes roughly five
hours to climb and is a constant uphill strain.
Finally I reached the top and I underestimated how emotional it
would be to look back down the pass to see the height and the
steepness of where I’d started. Five years previously, sitting on a
hospital ward being treated for rheumatoid arthritis – would I have
ever dreamed that one day I would hike to 4,215m? My sense of
achievement was very overwhelming! I then climbed back down about
300 metres to camp for night two and I was tired and in pain. Lots
of painkillers and anti-inflammatories were needed!
Another very early start, 4.45am, starting to walk whilst it was
still dark. We walked for around an hour before taking a sharp
ascent up to Inti Punku – the sun gate - and caught the first sight
of jaw-droppingly magnificent Machu Picchu. It was another
emotional experience, I don’t think there were many dry eyes but
there were lots of huge smiles and happy faces.
One last two-hour descent to the site and the feeling of
achievement and contentment was incredible and one thing I shall
never forget. Machu Picchu surpassed my expectations and was the
most beautiful place I have ever seen.
So why do it?! Being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis at the
age of 19 was a tough and life-changing event for me, one that I
thought would inhibit and stop me from achieving all that I want
from life.
But I can confidently say that I have come to terms with the
condition, adapted my life accordingly to deal with my joints and
issues. Instead of hiding behind my condition I have embraced the
fact that I have to deal with more pain and difficulties than most,
but it makes reaching goals all that more special!
Six months before the trek I decided raising money for Arthritis
Research UK by doing an open challenge was something positive and
challenging for me to do. I chose the Inca Trail as I had heard
lots about its beauty, and the thought of getting fit enough for a
four-day trek was something very motivating for me. So I set about
making plans for fundraising and a training regime.
I had a target of £2,500 set by the charity in order to fund
raise for them and the trip but I was very lucky to raise over
£3,300, and I owe a massive amount of praise to all my family and
friends who supported me, both financially through sponsorship but
also all their support and encouragement along the way.
I think having rheumatoid arthritis has made me more ambitious
and determined to achieve exactly what I want, because one day I
may not be able to. I am lucky that my condition is stable at the
moment and that I have a supportive network of family and friends
to help me reach my goals. So if you are sitting there thinking ‘I
couldn’t do that’ think again… maybe you just can!
Anna’s story first appeared in
Arthritis Today in 2007