
Inspirational woman with advanced breast cancer taking on Kiltwalk
Determined Belinda Butcher is aiming to complete the 22.6-mile Mighty Stride from Glasgow Green to Balloch on Sunday (April 27).
The 60-year-old is one of around 66 people who are doing so to raise money for Renfrewshire cancer charity Rays of Hope and their new extension.
She is also one of several members of the Neilston Well Walks group who are stepping up for the cause.
Belinda, second from left, with members of the Neilston Well Walks group (Image: Sourced) Belinda, who lives in Paisley and recently completed a 19-mile walk with the Well Walks group in preparation, said: 'This is my passion and I'm going for it.
'I've got to keep my hands open so I won't get too disappointed on the day if I can't complete the whole thing but that is the plan.
'The incredible thing is that you are not alone and there is a team and first aiders who can step in if I need it.
'I am very determined to keep going. I really want to complete it and it would be good for my mental health to do so.'
Belinda, second from left, with Rays of Hope founder Linda O'Malley, far right, Rays of Hope wellbeing and fitness coordinator Jennifer Muirhead and volunteer Liz Cowie (Image: Sourced) Belinda, who received her diagnosis in March, previously battled breast cancer in 2016 before suffering a mini stroke in 2019 and a larger stroke in 2022 which affected her cognitive processes and short-term memory.
When she was diagnosed with cancer the first time, Belinda, whose background is in holistic therapy, began volunteering with Rays of Hope.
The charity, which is based in Elderslie, provides peer support to those diagnosed with cancer and offers services geared at improving quality of life such as exercise sessions, a walking group, choir, writing group and Spanish classes.
The extension has been underway for a year (Image: Sourced) The charity started work on their extension a year ago and the build will provide much needed extra space to help them cope with how busy they have become.
It will feature a reception area, two offices, a quiet room, a shower room and a spa room.
Notably it will give them the space to provide a new programme to help people get fit and mentally prepare for surgery and help them get back to fitness after the fact.
'We probably need another £100,000 to get it completed,' explained Linda O'Malley the founder of the charity, which is celebrating its tenth anniversary later this year and supports more than 100 people every week.
'There has already been that and more spent on it, but we are really pleased with it and grateful for all of the donations people have given us, plus all the fundraising that has been done.'
Belinda, second from left, with Rays of Hope founder Linda O'Malley, far right, Rays of Hope wellbeing and fitness coordinator Jennifer Muirhead and volunteer Liz Cowie (Image: Sourced) Linda also expressed her gratitude to those doing the Kiltwalk in aid of the extension and praised kind-hearted Belinda for her efforts.
'As much as we have helped Belinda, she has helped a lot of people coming in,' she added.
'She's a very kind, generous person in that way.
"She will give up so much of her time to help others and be with others.'
Last autumn, Belinda joined Neilston Well Walks, which is led by Kiltwalk veteran Anwar Rafiq, who has described her as a 'total inspiration'.
Fresh air, exercise and being part of a group who know her and make her feel safe has benefited her enormously.
'I've become calmer being outside,' she explained.
'The fresh air and getting to know people who really respect one another - I couldn't be in a better place getting fitter.
'Mentally I would have given up by now, but now I'm going to keep going."

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Scottish Sun
35 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Mum's urgent warning after innocent UTI led to life-threatening condition – and all four of her limbs being amputated
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) KIM Smith's hands and feet went black and had to be amputated after a common infection turned deadly. "I woke up at 4am and I thought I was going to die," the 63-year-old said in a TikTok video, recalling the day fateful day she woke up sick. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Kim Smith after her quadruple amputations. Credit: mediadrumworld/@kims2ndchance 5 Doctors diagnosed the mum with severe sepsis and put her into a coma Credit: mediadrumworld/@kims2ndchance The mum-of-two from Milton Keynes was on holiday with her family in Spain in 2018 when a simple urinary tract infection (UTI) spiralled out of control. A UTI is a common infection where bacteria infiltrates parts of the body like the bladder, kidneys and urethra. It often causes a painful burning sensation when urinating and the need to pee more often. Familiar with the signs, Kim, then 56, saw a doctor on November 28 2018 and was prescribed antibiotics. Read more on sepsis TAKEN TOO SOON Mum, 28, with stomach ache died after hospital staff failed to spot sepsis But the pharmacist did not have her prescription available for collection that day, so the former hairdresser returned to their hotel, where she quickly deteriorated. "I had severe breathlessness, slurred speech and confusion. I was really really cold. I had a fever and I was shivering like mad," she explained. Kim was rushed to hospital in the early hours of November 29 where doctors diagnosed her with severe sepsis - with the mum being put into a coma. Sepsis is a life-threatening reaction to an infection, which occurs when the body's immune system overreacts to an infection. By the next day, her hands had already turned purple. For weeks, Kim remained in the Spanish hospital, with her family getting more and more concerned. My UTI turned out to be cancer & I had my vagina reconstructed with my bum Eventually, her daughter arranged an air ambulance to get her home, and two weeks after coming back to the UK Kim was brought out of her coma. Waking up, Kim saw her limbs had blackened and died, with doctors telling her she needed them to be removed. Once she recovered from the quadruple amputation, the mum spent 12 weeks in physical rehabilitation, where she regained her strength and learned to live without her limbs. If you feel unusually unwell and you know something is not right, please please please advocate for yourself Kim Smith Now, the mum wants to raise awareness for the little-known risk associated with common UTIs. "I want to tell you, if you need to go pee, go pee," she said. "Don't hold it, that could cause you to get an infection and that could develop into sepsis," she added. 5 The hairdresser before she developed sepsis Credit: SWNS 5 The mum is now raising awareness about sepsis symptom Credit: SWNS "The symptoms are severe breathlessness, slurred speech and confusion I had that I didn't pass much urine that day and I had a fever but I was really cold," she said. "If you get anything like that, if you feel unusually unwell and you know something is not right, please please please advocate for yourself," the mum urged her followers. She added: "Tell [doctors] something is not right and ask them to test you for sepsis. "Ask for a second opinion if you have to. Do not leave if you feel something is wrong." How UTIs and sepsis are related UTIs affect the urinary tract - including the bladder, urethra, and kidneys. In the UK, 1.7 million people suffer recurrent UTIs (three or more a year). Around half of all women will get a UTI at some point. Common symptoms are burning pain when peeing, needing to go more often, and cloudy urine, which can also signal dehydration. Some may feel lower abdominal or back pain, fever, chills, or a dangerously low temperature below 36C. Severe symptoms may mean a kidney infection, which can lead to life-threatening sepsis if untreated. 5 Globally, sepsis kills 11 million people a year. In the UK, it claims 48,000 lives annually. Septic shock can cause blood clots that block oxygen to limbs which is when tissue dies, turning skin black. Doctors may try removing dead tissue, but if that fails, amputation is needed. UTIs are a leading cause of sepsis, known as the 'silent killer' because symptoms mimic flu. Key signs of sepsis include confusion, slurred speech, blotchy or blue-grey skin, difficulty breathing, and a rash that doesn't fade when pressed. Skin may be pale, cold, clammy, or show purple bruises. Producing less urine or not peeing for a day is another warning sign, as sepsis lowers blood pressure and blocks blood flow to kidneys. The NHS urges anyone with these symptoms to call 999 or go to A&E immediately.


NBC News
2 hours ago
- NBC News
Deported family of 11-year-old U.S. citizen recovering from a rare brain tumor requests humanitarian parole
An 11-year-old girl who is a U.S. citizen and is recovering from a rare brain tumor has been living in Mexico since immigration authorities removed her from Texas when they deported her undocumented parents four months ago. Four of her siblings, three of whom are also U.S. citizens, were also sent to Mexico with the parents. Since then, the girl's health condition has not improved, her mother told NBC News. In an attempt to return to the United States to get her the care she needs, the family applied for humanitarian parole with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on Thursday. 'We're fighting for my girl's life," the mother said, adding that her daughter isn't recovering from "just any disease. ... She is not going to be cured overnight; it's something that takes time.' Their request is for the undocumented parents and the girl's noncitizen sibling to be allowed to enter and live in the U.S. temporarily, so that the ailing girl can have "the full support of her family as she gets treatment to help save her life,' said Danny Woodward of the Texas Civil Rights Project, a legal advocacy organization representing the family. The mother said her daughter's headaches and dizziness have worsened. The symptoms have become so recurrent that the girl's parents spend sleepless nights taking turns monitoring and caring for her. 'She is very scared,' mother said. "We want to be there for her, we want to take care of her 100% like we've been doing so far. We don't want to be separated from her for even a minute." When the girl was in the U.S., under the care of doctors in Houston "who saved her life," the parents were instructed to rush her to the hospital for an emergency check-up whenever she felt these symptoms, the mother said. "But out here, that is impossible," she said in Spanish from Mexico, where her family was deported to Monterrey, an area known for the kidnapping of U.S. citizens. 'Where am I going to go?" NBC News is not publishing the family members' names out of concerns for their safety. Medical records show the child underwent surgery last year to remove a brain tumor caused by an 'unnamed 'novel' condition,' according to Woodward. This means that few medical specialists can effectively treat and monitor her. The mother said the girl's doctors in the U.S. were not just treating her daughter's illness; they were "also studying it because they don't know what caused it, why it was so aggressive." Even from Mexico, she has been in touch with the girl's doctors in the U.S., but they can't really assess what's happening to her from afar. The surgery that saved her life last year did leave the girl with some lasting side effects. The swelling on her brain is still not fully gone, causing difficulties with speech and mobility of the right side of her body as well as memory problems. These require the girl to routinely checking in with doctors monitoring her recovery, get MRI scans every three months, attend rehabilitation therapy sessions and take medication to prevent seizures. But she has not been able to consistently access this care since the family was deported, her mother and attorney said. The mother insists that the rod fixator preventing her daughter's right foot from turning inward needs to be replaced, as the girl trips more than usual. Her seizure medication is being sent to her from the United States because the family can't find the exact one she needs in Mexico, Woodward said. MRIs have also "turned out to be very expensive and challenging for the family to get in Mexico.' The girl has only been able to get one medical checkup and MRI in Monterrey. The experience made the mother realize how difficult it would be to get a new doctor in Mexico who can get up to speed with her daughter's medical history and treat her illness. 'Not any doctor wants to take on such a huge commitment,' the mother said. "It's like starting from scratch, or worse." Additionally, 'the stress of the whole situation has definitely played a negative role' in the girl's recovery, Woodward said. 'This family has been severely traumatized." A family's 'truncated dreams' On Feb. 3, the family was driving from the Rio Grande Valley area, where they lived, to Houston, where the girl's doctors are based, for an emergency medical checkup. On the way, they stopped at a stateside immigration checkpoint, one they have passed through multiple times. But this time, immigration authorities arrested the parents after they were unable to show legal immigration documentation. Five of their children, ages 15, 13, 11, 8 and 6, were with them when they were arrested. Woodward said the parents have never done anything to make them a priority for removal. The entire family was taken to a detention facility, where they spent 24 hours before they were placed in a van and dropped on the Mexico side of a Texas bridge on Feb. 4. "Another layer of this is the fact that the parents were never even given their due process rights, so they never were allowed to go in front of an immigration judge to plead their case," said Rochelle Garza, president of the Texas Civil Rights Project. A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees USCIS, previously told NBC News that reports of the family's situation are 'inaccurate' and declined to speak on the specifics of the case, citing privacy reasons. They said in a statement that when 'someone is given expedited removal orders and chooses to disregard them, they will face the consequences.' The eldest son, an 18-year-old U.S. citizen, was left behind in the U.S. "The older boy woke up one morning and learned that his entire family was gone," Woodward said. He graduated high school alone, without his family. 'It breaks our hearts,' the mother said as she wept, adding that her son dreams of going to college and becoming a neurosurgeon after seeing how doctors saved his sister's life, but 'he can't do that alone. He needs our support — even though we talk to him every day, it's really hard to be away." Instead of going to college, her son is working a fast-food job, hoping to soon see his family return home. While the Trump administration has aggressively stepped up the pace of deportations, including for immigrants who don't have criminal charges or convictions against them, there are three recent cases giving the girl's family hope. A Mexican mother living in California and her 4-year-old girl, who suffers from a life-threatening intestinal illness, were granted humanitarian parole this month following a public plea for deportation relief. In April, a Venezuelan immigrant in Chicago was released from immigration detention under humanitarian parole to serve as an organ donor for his ailing brother. In March, an undocumented mother in California caring for her 21-year-old daughter, a U.S. citizen undergoing treatment for bone cancer, was detained by immigration authorities and later released "for humanitarian reasons." Even though the relatives in these cases were not deported, Woodward said, "I don't think that should make any difference from the perspective of the federal government." "It's a discretionary choice for them to make," he said. "Our case, I think, it's a very strong one for humanitarian parole." The family's parole application includes letters of support from several members of Congress, including Democratic Reps. Adriano Espaillat of New York and Sylvia Garcia and Joaquin Castro of Texas, all of whom met with the family in Mexico last month. "We want them to give us that chance," the mother said. "We are not criminals. We are not delinquents. We simply want to save our daughter."


Daily Mirror
6 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Man dies of rabies after dog bite as officials issue urgent 'stay calm' warning
Spanish health officials have called on the public to get rabies vaccinations should they find themselves in specific situations after a man died of the virus in Valencia Health authorities have issued an urgent public warning after a man bitten by a dog died from rabies in an "exceptional" case that has sparked panic. Spanish health officials said the unnamed man, 44, died in hospital after carrying his infection from the African nation of Ethiopia, where he was bitten by a dog. Rabies, which is almost always deadly once humans show symptoms, aside from a few isolated cases, is not common in Spain, and authorities have been forced to warn people not to worry after news of the infection was made public. People have been told to get vaccinated if they find themselves in specific circumstances following the man's nightmare experience. READ MORE: What is zoonosis? Worrying new disease development explained - and how it could cause next pandemic Spanish authorities said the 44-year-old contracted rabies from a dog bite during a trip to Ethiopia in July 2024, and was taken to a Valencia hospital in "very serious" condition before his death. The man, whose nationality has not been revealed, died today, nearly a year after initially contracting the infection and following a stay in intensive care. He was not vaccinated - the only possible way to prevent death from infection - following his trip to the country last year, prompting authorities to issue a public warning. Health officials said people should get a rabies vaccination if they are planning to travel or be in close contact with any animals that may be carrying the infection. The man was bitten on his right leg but failed to seek further attention after returning from Ethiopia when he cleaned the wound and finding he had recovered well. Analytical tests conducted in Spain confirmed a rabies positive case on May 29, and medics administered an anti-rabies immunoglobulin as he was admitted to hospital. The immunoglobulin is highly effective at preventing death from rabies, but only if it is administered by doctors soon after the potential infection. The victim's wife, the only contact at risk, was also given the rabies vaccine and immunoglobulin. Marciano Gómez, Spain's minister of health, stressed it was an "isolated" case, adding that rabies had been eradicated in Spain. The country is one of several - including nations like the UK, Japan, New Zealand and Australia - to declare themselves rabies free. Mr Gomez said: "It is transmitted by bites from infected animals in countries where it is not controlled and exceptionally by drops of saliva or a conjunctival ulcer." Health authorities confirmed that nothing else could have been done to save the man's life.