I used to avoid exercise, now I climb mountains!
After avoiding exercise for over 40 years because of his asthma Kemal took up walking during the lockdown and the decision has been lifechanging for him. Last month he completed the Camino de Frances - walking 800km from France to Spain in 30 days raising over £1000 for Asthma UK. Here he shares his story.
How it all began
For most of my life I have struggled with my asthma and on a few occasions, I have had to spend time in hospital on oxygen support. Because of this I never exercised as I was scared that getting breathless would trigger another attack. For 40 years this was the norm for me but when the first lockdown happened, I decided I had to do something to try to lift my mood and so I began going on walks around my village.
Slowly I started to increase the distance I was walking, taking my camera with me, and venturing into the countryside. I always carried my blue reliever inhaler in case I got symptoms. I didn’t walk that fast to start with, but gradually I built up my fitness and moved from walking on the flat to taking on small hills. The reduction in my asthma symptoms and improvement in my mood was incredible. So, I decided I wanted to really test myself. When a friend suggested the Camino de Frances, I knew it was the challenge for me!
Walking the Camino de Frances
Walking the Camino de Frances was an experience I will never forget – the wonderful scenery, the beautiful sunrises, walking through the vineyards and the sunflower fields, the olive groves and listening to the birdsong each morning. I occasionally enjoyed a fresh bunch of grapes, some ripened figs or a few pears or walnuts from the trees on the roadside.
There were however some points at which I really struggled. Especially getting up at 5am in the morning and heading out into the rain and the wind, when it was still dark to walk my daily 25km. Knowing that I was helping other people with asthma like myself spurred me on. At one point I injured by knee badly and thought I might have to give up but luckily some cream from a local chemist reduced the swelling and I was able to continue.
On the last day of my walk, I left my hostel in the early hours of the morning and completed 20km to reach my final destination Santiago. I arrived at 6.30am and was the first person there. I felt so emotional, the Cathedral was beautiful and the square completely empty except for myself and my backpack.
An amazing journey
It has been an amazing journey from start to finish. I have met so many wonderful, kind people some of whom donated to Asthma UK. At one hostel I was unfortunate enough to lose one of my hiking boots. When I met some hikers in the next town I made them aware of what had happened, and the hiker bush telegraph took over. The next day I was walking along when I could hear people shouting at me "Monsieur Kemal, Monsieur Kemal, stop, we have got your lost boot”. This was quite emotional as I was not sure if we would be reunited again and I was preparing myself to carry on the route with less than ideal footwear!
I had many nick names including ‘the running man’ for my penchant of getting up early to be on the road, ‘the flag man’ because I carried my Asthma UK flags and ‘Einstein’ as my hair got increasingly wilder the longer my journey took!
My message to others
I took on this challenge to give hope to others with asthma wanting to get more active and to raise awareness of asthma and money for further research. Exercising has made a huge difference to my wellbeing and now I can literally climb mountains!
To anyone else with asthma wanting to get more active I say start slowly to build up your strength and fitness. It’s a good idea to walk with a friend for support and always make sure you have your reliever inhaler. Finally take your time and be kind to yourself, set small goals and then gradually build from there. Look forward and think ‘I can do this!’
Would you like to get more active but are unsure how to begin? We are part of the ‘We are Undefeatable’ campaign which aims to help people with long term health conditions to get active. Take a look at their website for advice on getting started. Home - We Are Undefeatable
If you would like to sponsor Kemal you can view this link: Kémal Chetitah - Collection Pot
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