A MAN from Frome has pledged to hike 1,000 miles across Iceland to raise money for charity.
In 2024, Tony Hodges will be undertaking a three month trip across Iceland, from Reykjavík to Husavik, zigzagging his way across the country in the hopes of raising awareness of the importance of the work carried out by Cancer Research UK.
The hiker also hopes that he will be able to make people more aware of the dangers of ignoring cancer symptoms until it becomes critical.
According to Voice, many people attribute cancer symptoms to things like old age or fatigue, despite cancer being a leading cause of death worldwide.
Tony, who has recently been declared cancer free, has spent 16 years of his life battling the disease, which was located in his bowels.
Tony explains his reasoning behind the impressive trek: "I have a condition called familial adenomatous polyposis coli, a rather horrible type of bowel cancer and, two weeks ago, I was told for the first time in my life that I am in complete remission, no more cancer.
"I have beaten it three times now, endured months in hospital and chemotherapy. I have had 169 operations and two collapsed ileostomies which means I'm on my third stoma now.
"I have no large bowel and 80 per cent of my small bowel, which makes hiking long distances challenging at times.
"I have a young child who was born three years ago by some sort of miracle because I should not be able to have children at all and he has a 50/50 chance of inheriting my condition.
"By supporting Cancer Research UK, I hope to the heavens that, should he have to go through what I have, then the best possible medication and treatments are there for him."
Tony trains all over Somerset, including sites such as Vallis Vale and Heaven's Gate.
To get his body used to walking long distances, Tony visits the Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia in Wales for days at a time.
Tony is holding a charity ball on May 13 at Rook Lane Chapel in Frome to raise awareness of his hike and encourage people to donate to charity.
To support him on his mission, visit his Cancer Research UK Just Giving page.
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