Three weeks after finishing my challenge I have reached my fund raising initial target of $15,000. I set this as my goal as it represented someone's sight being restored for each of the 600km I walked. When I started walking it became apparent that this would be a very tough target to reach and I thought that perhaps half way might be more realistic. This was despite the fantastic support from so many of my friends around the world. Then something remarkable happened. The Fred Hollows foundation put out the story of my challenge and Tony Wright wrote a great story in "The Age" about Aussie Colditz POW Jack Millett and linked it to my challenge. At this time I had already reached Switzerland but then people from all over Australia, whom I have never met, started to donate, some donating as much as $1000. Soon I was on my way to to my target. As I write I have collected $15,615.50 for the Fred Hollows Foundation. I have set a new Goal of reaching $17,000.
I can't thank you enough for the support that has been shown by the donations of friends and strangers. The impact on the lives of the recipients of Fred Hollows sight restoring surgery is massive and spreads to their families and the whole community. I thank you on their behalf.
Three weeks on and I am definitely missing the simplicity of life on the run. I am still holding on to the new perspective it has given me and starting to imagine what the next challenge could be.
I have now increased the goal on my fundraising page to $17,000 as I would love it if more people want to donate and I will keep the page open for the rest of November.
I can't believe it was over a month ago now at midnight on the 27th September that I walked out of Oflag IV C Colditz Castle and set off for Switzerland. This is the video of me "escaping" at midnight that I had previously only posted on Facebook.
http://www.everydayhero.com.au/Colditzwalk
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