Time to join the gang
Right gang, the time has come to head off for my weeks volunteering at the Hole in the Wall Gang camp. I can’t imagine a better way to end my United States adventure than to volunteer at the place I came over to raise money for.
I am immensely honoured to have been accepted to volunteer at Hole in the Wall. It looks like the most incredible place and I can fully identify with their ethos of camp being a ‘different kind of healing’. That little boy in the picture would have loved this place when he was unwell. I know he would have also loved a place like this when he was ill as an adult as well! 🙂
I have been told to prepare to dance, sing and meet some incredibly inspiring children and volunteers. I can’t wait!
I just read this passage in the camps handbook and it gave me goosebumps. Paul Newman was a pretty amazing guy to create this wonderful place.
‘Paul Newman’s idea was simple: create a special place where children with cancer and other serious illnesses could simply be kids; where they could ‘raise a little hell’ and experience all the joys that go hand in hand with childhood. The spiritual grounding of this idea was the Hole in the Wall, a safe hideout where these brave children could go find friendship and community when they needed it most. A summer camp, Mr Newman believed, could be that place of refuge and so began his quest to deliver “a different kind of healing”. It would be a camp where, on any given a day, a child could look around and see more than 100 other children facing familiar fears and meeting similar challenges head on’.
Love it! See you in a week!
X
Three days in paradise
Since I started travelling I think part of me has secretly been keeping one eye open for places I could potentially settle down in the future.
I’ve lived in London for 13 years and I’ve absolutely loved it. I loved the hustle and bustle of the city, the fact that everything is pretty much on your doorstep and that there is an endless amount of things to do there. As a child I was brought up in Newcastle in the north of England and I also loved that.
Since being ill however, I found that my love for city life has diminished somewhat. In Central and South America the only thing I looked forward to when going to a city was the chance that there might a Starbucks and an English speaking cinema there. In the states those things are everywhere so the only things I really enjoyed about the cities I visited were the people I met.
During my treatment I was lucky enough to live in a place called Richmond in the South west of London. It’s almost like living in the countryside there, It’s so beautiful. I lived near the river and lots of beautiful parks. Richmond is almost like living in the countryside. I used to walk by the river when I felt my worst and it always made me feel better. I found being around nature so revitalising and healing. I would sit there and smell the trees and listen to the sound of the River Thames rushing by. My living room looked out onto a huge private garden which had loads of trees and even a foxes den. I would sit there for hours staring into the garden. When the wind blowed it sounded like the grandest of storms but it was just the wind blowing through the leaves. I absolutely loved it but it was still quite a busy place with lots of cars and people around.
I’ve just spent the last three days in what I can only describe as my dream home. A small cottage in the hills of upstate New York complete with hammock, a record player and it’s very own vegetable garden. Much like the barn in Idaho the windows in the bedroom had no curtains so you wake up with the sun and when you turn your head slightly you are looking out over the beautiful hills of New York State.
I absolutely loved the fact I could pick my own veggies for dinner. Only picking what I needed for that meal and knowing it was all organic without any of the rubbish sprayed all over it.
The sunset last night was one of the most beautiful I have ever seen and seemed to last forever. The weather is not the best here at the moment but once the sun sunk beneath the clouds it lit up the sky and looked like a Monet painting.
I think the main reason I want this kind of life now is because it makes me feel healthy. I imagine the clean air going into my lungs, I look at how green and healthy the trees and plants are and just listening to the birds and the wind makes it difficult to feel stressed about anything at all. Pure bliss.
As much as I love London I’m not sure I see myself going back there after this trip. There’s a family ‘Von Trout’ cottage out there somewhere and hopefully one day I’ll be able to unpack my bag there for good and feel healthy every day.
X
I’m coming home
…but just for a short while
On the 29th July, after 13 months and 12 days on the road I will be heading back to the UK for a month or so.
My plan was to be away for the entire two years I gave myself to travel but I have had the honour of being asked to be the best man at my friend’s wedding and also to be the godfather to two wonderful children. I can’t pass these things up and there is nothing that would give me more joy than to stand by my best friend on his wedding day and to tell Eleanor and Hattie in person that I’ll always be there for them whenever they need me.
Since I’ve been gone my group of friends have had six children between them. That’s six kids in the gang that I’ve never met. I was fortunate enough to see my mum and brother when they came over to support me during Angelride but I haven’t given my dad a hug in over a year now. I miss my family and my friends terribly and to keep on travelling without stopping would be to miss out on those life affirming experiences that money can’t buy.
So the plan is to come home and spend some good quality time with my mum and dad, try and be funny in my best man’s speech and hold some babies without dropping them! 🙂
It will also be lovely to have a rest. I can imagine you might think this has been one big holiday for me which if I’m honest is what I thought it would be as well!:) The truth is I’m absolutely exhausted now. The endless moving on, bus rides, packing and re-packing every two or three days, meeting new people every day and not to mention the treks and carrying a big back pack around. It all definitely takes out of you.
I’ve already organised hospital appointments to have a quick once over and make sure everything is working as it should be. Although I feel great, sometimes its also nice to have a doctor to tell you that all is looking good. This will also mean I get to have my four year all clear in the hospital that saved my life.
The future of 101 things
I also want to have some time to have a real sit down and plan the next year of my trip. I want to get in touch with more cancer charities abroad and organise volunteer work and also set myself new challenges which will help raise money and awareness for various charities. My greatest joy from the last year has been the charity work I’ve done and I want to see if I can now take that to the next level and achieve my dream of becoming a professional fundraiser.
I have got some great things in the pipeline but not confirmed yet so I’ll tell you all when I know for sure.
I want 101 Things to Do When You Survive to be something that encapsulates everything that survivorship stands for. I want people to know that the there is a way through the dark times and that the night really is darkest just before the dawn. If we can also raise some money and awareness for a few charities along the way then life is very good indeed!
I will be setting off again in mid September and my first stop will be the beautiful land down under… Australia!
My tour of the Americas will end with a weeks volunteering at the amazing Hole In The Wall Gang Camp next week which I can’t wait to experience and tell you wonderful people all about it.
Canada, I will be back for you one day!
X
Lynette and Robert from 52 Lives
Those who have followed my adventure for a while will remember a young Australian girl called Claire who sadly passed away earlier this year.
Claire’s mum Lynette had been introduced to my story via the wonderful charity ’52 lives’. Claire was the very first life that 52 Lives was able to help.
On Wednesday afternoon I had the privilege of meeting Lynette and her husband Robert in person.
Lynette would often write and tell me that my story gave her and Robert hope that Claire would survive and do all the things I was doing. She would tell Claire what I was up to and show her my pictures.
I was devastated when I learned that Claire had passed away. She died on the same day I got my 3.5 year all clear and even though I’d never met her I felt absolutely devastated.
I’d only ever chatted with Lynette via email and her words were always so positive and inspiring. It’s so lovely when you meet someone you admire and they live up to everything you hoped they would
Despite the sad circumstances which led us to meet I absolutely loved spending time with Lynette and Robert. We went to a bar in Grand Central station and in between the tears there were also many laughs. They are such positive caring people who are dealing with every parents nightmare as best as they can. This trip away is a much needed distraction for them and their son Liam.
Lynette and Robert said that my story had given their family hope that Claire would get better. They never believed she was going to die and because of that Claire didn’t live her final months in fear.
For me fear is the worst thing in the world. It wasn’t cancer that nearly ruined my life, it was the fear of suffering that was worse than anything I had ever experienced. I am so glad Claire didn’t have to experience that fear and it’s because of her strong amazing parents that she lived her life feeling safe, happy and surrounded by her strong supportive family.
Lynette and Robert, I feel very honoured to have met you yesterday. You are such strong people. I’ll see you again when I get to OZ but until then please know I will always be here for you and your family.
X
Washington DC
I’ve just spent the past week in the beautiful city of Washington DC. I must admit I had no plans to go to Washington but an old friend of mine, Arin, told me she was living there so I’d thought I’d go and visit for a few days.
If like me you don’t know what the ‘DC’ part stands for, it actually means District of Columbia. Columbia was a poetic name for the United States at the time and the area was especially chosen for the ‘Capitol’ to be built on.
I really liked DC. The only things I really knew about the city were that the White House is there, that it was once the murder capital of the US. It’s far from that now, and that that the long reflecting pool is where Jenny jumps in to meet Forest in Forest Gump. All these things I deemed essential knowledge before actually going to the city.
The city is packed with beautiful iconic buildings such as the domed US Capitol Building, the beautiful library of congress, the Supreme Court building and the towering Washington Monument.
The White House wasn’t as impressive as I thought it would be but it was still quite cool to see it in real life. It looks bigger on TV! 🙂
The National Holocaust Memorial Museum
Something I was told was a must see was the National Holocaust memorial Museum. I think it’s fair to say that we all have a pretty good understanding of what happened during the holocaust so I won’t go into detail but it was a horrific time not only for Jewish people but also for humanity as a whole.
The museum ‘uses the history of genocide as a model of how society can break down, and emphasises how current and future generations must carefully examine and learn from these tragedies’.
The things you see and learn in the centre are unimaginable and at times it was hard to believe that humans did these awful things to other human beings.
There was a lovely story at the end of the tour where a holocaust survivor is telling the story of when the Americans liberated her camp. She said, “a young man came over with tears in his eyes and asked if I was ok. He then asked if there were other ladies with me and if I could lead him to them. He held the door open for me and I walked through. It had been six years since I had received such respect where I was called a lady and having a door opened for me. That man went onto become my husband”.
Despite seeing all the horror that is displayed throughout the centre it was this story that had me welling up. A story of how love came out of the darkness of a living hell.
Memorials
All the memorial buildings are stunning but it was The Lincoln Memorial and the Martin Luther King memorial which really caught my eye. The Lincoln memorial for its beautiful architecture and the speeches inscribed into its walls and the Martin Luther King memorial for its beautifully displayed quotes about humanity and hope. Incredible monuments for incredible people.
4th July
I spent the 4th July in DC but didn’t get a very good view of the big firework display unfortunately so no pics. On the way home Arin and I walked through her neighbourhood and all the houses were out on the streets having their own firework display. It was so lovely seeing everyone sitting there watching the fireworks and wishing us a happy 4th July as we walked through. Love the sense of community there.
I also got to watch my very first football match of the World Cup. USA v Belgium. Great match! I was watching it in a bar with my red 101 t-shirt on when a girl came over and asked if my name was Greig Trout. Her name was Marta and she was a friend of my cousin, Alexa, who lives in Malaysia. She only recognised me because of my t- shirt as she follows my page on Facebook. What a small amazing world. Thanks so much for saying hello Marta (see photo).
I’m now back in New York for a few days before heading north and back to where my American adventure began and will unfortunately end, the beautiful land of Connecticut.
X
AngelRide, an experience of a lifetime
…and the people who made it happen
As my time to volunteer at the Hole in the Wall camp approaches I suddenly realised I hadn’t shared any of the pictures of what turned out to be the most wonderful experience of my life.
I rode 140 miles in 2 days across the state of Connecticut which was the most physically demanding thing I’ve ever achieved. For years I’ve thought of myself as weak and unfit but at the finish on Sunday evening I dispelled those beliefs for good and for the first time ever, I felt invincible. I rode next to my hero, my big brother Barry and had the woman who’s gotten me through everything life has throne at me waiting for me at the finish line, my wonderful mum, Phyllis.
These are a few of my pictures of Angelride and of some the wonderful people I met in the days leading up to and during the ride.
The second picture is of the amazing people that made it all possible for me to be there.
The guy on the left is a guy called Andy Heeps. I’d never met Andy before but he saw my story over Christmas when it hit the press and emailed me to ask if I’d consider participating in Angelride. At the time I was receiving 100’s of messages but Andy’s really stood out. He told me about a bike ride which was the most inspirational experience he’d ever had and then described the amazing cause it raises money for. The cause was for the Hole in the Wall gang camp. A camp and hospital outreach programme for serious ill children. He wrote so passionately that I immediately said yes not really thinking about it. I told him I couldn’t do it this year but maybe sometime in the future.
For months Andy pretty much chased me around South America sending me emails with pictures of the bike he was building for me to ride and how he was looking forward to riding with me. The guy was relentless!
Andy kept emailing me and it suddenly dawned on me that I probably wouldn’t be able to the ride next year either as I would most likely be in Asia then. I emailed Andy that perhaps I would do it in 2016 instead and that way I could train for it as well. Andy emailed back and told me that once I took part in this ride I would be returning every year.
I was in Argentina at the time with about a month to go until the 2014 ride and and I emailed him and said “I know I haven’t trained or ever ridden a bike like this but what if I came this year and did the ride instead”?
With that Andy got in touch with Lynn (also pictured) the organiser. Possibly the loveliest person you could ever hope to meet and they found me a place to stay. I booked a last minute flight from Brazil to the US. Lynn got me all my equipment and was constantly checking to see how I was feeling, even warning me not to push myself as many people don’t finish the ride. She and her wonderful partner Fred (who is iron man by the way) introduced me to Brian and Chaleen who let me (a stranger) stay at their house for almost 10 days to train and get used to…riding a bike!:) With that I had gained an entire new family.
I was even given the number 101 as my riding number!
I have so much I want to say about all of them but I’ll save that for my book. Andy, Lynn, Fred, Chaleen and Brian (third picture) invited me into their lives and I’ve never looked back.
I remember hovering over the ‘purchase’ button when booking my flight to the states debating whether it was a good idea to leave South America for a bike ride. It was without doubt one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I wanted to do this trip so that I could breathe deeply again, to get my heart racing with excitement, to smile and to meet people that touch your heart in a way that you wonder how you ever managed to survive without them in your life. I got all that from following my heart and taking part in Angelride.
A huge thank you
Thanks to you (the 101 gang) 101 Things to Do When You Survive was able to raise $4880 for the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in just a few weeks. Every time I received an email from donations company informing me about a new donation it was like winning the lottery. Thanks to you seriously ill children will get a chance to smile, feel normal and experience happiness again.
Thank you all so much for believing in me and this wonderful cause.
X
I try not to put too many pictures in my albums but with this one I just couldn’t help myself. To view all the pics (39 in total) please click into the album at the top of the post.
Lynn has extended the time period for donations so if you’d still like to sponsor me and donate to the Hole in the Wall gang camp then please see the following link:-
https://www.crowdrise.com/Greig-AngelRide2015/fundraiser/greigtrout
Help Hollie! Pants on your head!
Hollie is an 8 year old girl who has been diagnosed with a rare form of bone marrow failure syndrome and desperately needs a bone marrow transplant to survive. A member of her family put their pants on their head once to cheer her up and now they are trying to spread awareness about donating bone marrow by getting people to put their pants on their head.
If you are aged between 16-30 in good health and want to help Hollie then please visit www.anthonynolan.org and request a pack. They will send you a ‘spit kit’, you take a salvia sample and send it back in a pre paid envelope! Super easy and you could literally save someone’s life!
Even those who are over 30 may be eligible so please visit http://www.deletebloodcancer.org.uk/ to see if you could be a life saver.
Right gang! Let’s see those pictures of you with your pants on your head! Tweet to @HelpHollie or follow ‘help Hollie’ on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Helphollie/254876644714864 or visit www.helphollie.com
Good luck Hollie. Everyone at 101 Things is behind you! I’m wearing pretty much all the pants I own in this photo. The ones on my head are the cleanest!:)
Please share and spread Hollie’s story and get on that register! Thanks so much gang.
X
Good people and ‘muddin’
I have now visited 13 countries in the past 12 months and each one has made me love the world and it’s people more and more. This is a lovely feeling to have as a couple of years ago I wasn’t the biggest fan of the world I was living in.
I have met some pretty amazing people on my trip so far but the welcome and generosity I have experienced in the states has been unbelievable. I thought I’d share a couple of stories from my time in Idaho which made me very sad to leave on Monday.
I went for a haircut in the town near where I was staying the other day (my first since my head shave in March…scary) and I was chatting to the hairdresser about what I was doing and why and she told me that her husband had gone through prostrate cancer a few years ago. Thankfully he survived and I could tell how much she loved him by the way she spoke of him. It was so lovely to hear. When I went to pay she told me not to worry about it and that I should use the money for something else on my list. I was really overwhelmed by this gesture and even more overwhelmed when I got home and received an email about how our little conversation had inspired her.
I was then invited to a BBQ by a friend of the people who own the barn I was staying at. A wonderful guy called Tim had asked me round to eat with him and his family. What lovely people. Straight away they made me feel like I was one of the family. We ate and chatted and then went out to their garden that they had made on the hill and played Croquet. This little garden is surrounded by miles and miles of fields and is just absolutely beautiful. They literary live in the middle of nowhere. I loved it!
Before I knew it Tim’s step daughter Emily and her friend Bea announced they were taking me ‘muddin’. I had no idea what muddin was but apparently it’s a redneck tradition and today I was honorary redneck so it had to be done. Basically ‘muddin’ is when you take your truck and drive through mud and puddles with the aim of getting your truck as dirty as possible. What they didn’t tell me was that it would involve skidding and swerving along public dirt roads whilst they were screaming their heads off. To say I was scared was an understatement! Here I was, someone who’d fought and survived cancer twice about to die from….. ‘muddin’! Afterwards it was the best thing ever of course but at the time I questioned the sanity of everyone in that truck including my own!:) I wished I had taken my camera now. You guys would have loved it…especially me screaming. Such fun! Afterwards Emily and Bea took me to watch without doubt the best firework show I’ve ever seen. A free show organised by a billionaire who has also opened up a free centre for people with cancer.
The following day Tim and his family, invited me out on their boat and we lazed around the lake all day in the sun whilst I tried to perfect my redneck accent for when I officially live there. (The secret is to take the ‘g’ of everything…muddin, huntin, runnin).
Tim and his family also gave me some cash to help me on my way. I honestly didn’t know what to say when they gave me it. I told them I didn’t want it and that they should put it towards something they want to do but they insisted and said they loved what i was doing and that I could put it towards petrol to get me to where I needed to go next. They told me that I was now family and that they hope I come back to visit them one day. I left after lots of hugs wondering what I had done to deserve all the good fortune that has come my way.
When we were playing croquet on the hill I was smiling to myself thinking isn’t life crazy. How on earth did I end up here? I’m in the middle of Idaho, with these wonderful people and playing croquet on a hill. If someone had told a couple of years ago when I was consumed by fear and sadness that life would not only lead me here to these fine people but that I would once again find myself loving life as much as I do, I’m not sure I would have believed them. I’m so glad I took a chance and made this trip trip happen.
Thank you to Nicole (the hairdresser), Tim and his amazing family and Brian and Chaleen whom by letting me use their barn made it possible to visit this wonderful town and it’s people.
I’m now back East and in the nations capital, Washington DC for a few days. Two more weeks until I volunteer at the Hole in the wall gang camp!!!!
I wonder if Barack is free for a cuppa? I’ll give him a knock!:)
X
Thing #19 – See and hear the geyers explode in Yellowstone
Ever since watching the BBC documentary series ‘Yellowstone’ I’ve wanted to visit Yellowstone National Park.
When I watch these shows occasionally there is a part of me that wonders if these places are truly that colour, truly that vast and truly that beautiful. Yellowstone is everything you’ve seen on TV and in magazines.
The trees go on forever, the waterfalls thunder down into epic canyons, the bison roam the planes as free as a bird and the Old Faithful Geyser is ready to make the crowds ‘ooh’ and ‘aah’ by firing water and steam high up into the beautiful sky very 90 minutes.
There was still snow on the ground when I visited. Look out for the photo of the big lump of snow with people on a viewing platform above it. That’s how deep the snow gets in the winter! Yikes!
I managed to spend two days there thinking that would be enough but I was completely wrong. This place is MASSIVE! Covering an area of almost 3500 square miles and stretching into three states it is something that would take months to explore properly.
Founded in 1872, Yellowstone is the world’s first ever national park and the idea of protecting our natural environment spread around the world. There are now almost 7000 national parks around the world.
I didn’t do any hiking when I was there but I now really want to come back and trek and camp for a week or so. I only really saw the places you can get to via road so next time I plan to go deep into the wilderness and hopefully see a bear or two!
Yellowstone is regarded as a super volcano and is centred over the Yellowstone Caldera which consists of hot molten rock which rises to the surface. When the pressure gets too much the geysers erupt shooting steam and hot water high into the air. The Old Faithful geyser is the parks most famous due to its predictability as it erupts every 90 minutes. This was the thing I wanted to see the most and I wasn’t disappointed.
Myself and my American friend Dia watched Old Faithful erupt at sunset and it was truly amazing. I would definitely recommend seeing the geyser at sunset when the air is cooler, the light dimmer and the crowds far fewer.
As the we drove out of the park with just a bit of light left in the sky we could see the geysers for miles around steaming in the distance. This was probably my most favourite part of the visit. No cars, no other tourists, a beautiful sunset and the realisation that I had just visited one of the most beautiful places in the world.
Definitely one for your lists!
(The last four pictures were taken in and near The Grand Teton National Park and the amazing place I was generously given to stay in for the past 10 days by my friends Brain and Chaleen. The picture of me underneath the antler arch was taken in a place called Jackson Hole. Each spring the Elk shed their antlers and some of them were used to make these amazing arches).
X
A memorable night in Vegas
My last night in Vegas was spent with two of the most wonderful people I have ever met. My good friend Terolyn and her 9 year old son Kody.
I hadn’t seen Terolyn for over 14 years. We met when we both volunteered at a performing arts camp in upstate New York in 1999 and thanks to the power of Facebook we got back in touch a few years ago. Terolyn is a single mum who has brought up Kody to be a very inspiring person.
On my final night in Vegas I met up with Terolyn and Kody and we hit the strip. We started off our night going on the big wheel which was so much fun. We were all dancing away in the pod. The people we were with in the pod must have thought we were crazy!:)
We then went to a themed restaurant called Margaritaville which was a pretty crazy place with people on stilts and a woman sliding down the side of a volcano and in to a big glass of Margarita! Only in America!:)
On the table next to us were a group of young guys all with lots of coloured bracelets on. We ended up chatting to them and found out they were from Canada and going to a rave called the Electric Daisy Carnival. The idea behind the bracelets is to exchange them with the people you meet. You do this by doing a special hand shake which signifies:- peace, love, friendship and respect. Terolyn told them about 101 Things and one of the guys came over and crouched next to me and told me his uncle had died of cancer that very day. He was a big burly ice hockey player and he broke down in whilst telling me. We connected instantly and chatted for a while and I gave him a big hug. He then gave me one of his bracelets and thanked me for what I was doing and we shared a moment that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. It was so lovely of him to thank me for what I was doing. My heart breaks when people tell me they have lost loved ones to cancer. I often feel uncomfortable talking about 101 Things after hearing such news so it was lovely that he understood why I was doing it.
The three of us then went to watch the fountains at the Belagio which was Kody’s first ever time seeing them and then to the Mirage hotel to see the volcano show. We also walked around the fountains of Caesars Palace and we all threw in pennies and made two wishes each.
Kody and I got on like a house on fire. He is the most amazing kid. Such a smart, selfless and caring person. He gave a child on the street his balloon hat, he wants to do charity work to help the homeless and I could see in his mums eyes just how proud he makes her. They have such a close bond which reminded me of me and my mum. There are a handful of people I look up to in life and I found myself looking at Kody thinking how honoured I was to have met him.
I told Terolyn what an amazing job she had done bringing up Kody. I feed off good energy and being around them both was like being hit by a thunderbolt of amazing good energy. I can see Kody going on to help a lot of people in the future.
At the end of the night Kody asked if I was ever coming back to see them. I said of course I would and he replied “that’s good because that’s what I wished for, both times”. Upon hearing this my heart instantly melted and I started to well up. Even as I type this I have tears in my eyes. I’m not sure anyone has ever used their wishes so that they could see me again. It was one of the loveliest things anyone has ever said to me.
Terolyn emailed me the other day telling me how Kody was really inspired by me and that he is now talking about how he make the world a better place. To say I was overwhelmed was an understatement. At such a young age I think it’s just incredible how much he wants to help others.
One of my favourite quotes is “Be the change you want to see in the world” by Gandhi. Something tells me that Kody is going to do just that and inspire a lot of people in the process.
At this very moment I am the master of making my own wishes and dreams come true and I promise you this Kody….I will be back to see you both very very soon. You’ve both captured my heart and when you meet people that do that you keep them in your life forever.
Thank you both for a truly amazing night in Vegas.
X
