Tim Jelley

AN INCREDIBLE JOURNEY  

Six years ago, Tim Jelley was diagnosed with bowel cancer. Last November, he undertook an amazing trek through the Vietnamese jungle. This is a triumphant story of survival and the will to live life to the fullest.

The desire to give something back to raise awareness of a life-threatening disease, and to help others, took Tim Jelley and his 19-year-old son Adam all the way to Vietnam.

Six years ago, Tim was diagnosed with bowel cancer. He underwent surgery and was given a stoma. Today, Tim is not only a survivor, he’s enjoying life to the fullest, taking on new and exciting challenges that he wouldn’t have considered six years ago.

Last November, Tim and Adam found themselves on the backs of elephants navigating their way through the Vietnamese jungle as part of Beating Bowel Cancer’s second overseas’s trek.

Not only did the pair have to raise £5,000 in order to take part but they also had to find sponsors. “My first call was to ConvaTec, who kindly agreed to donate up to £5,000.

Fundraising frenzy

Tim, with the help of his wife Rose, also organized local pub quizzes, a race night, jumble sales, collection tins, talks, raffle draws, and sent out emails and letters. “It was certainly great fun and challenging,” he said.

“Some very special people and businesses rose to the occasion. Our local pub, The Railway in Kibworth Beauchamp, Leicestershire, raised an amazing £1,000.”

Apart from fundraising, Tim spent a great deal of time training so that he would be fit enough to cope with the gruelling six-day trek, which covered some 120km (just over 70miles) of spectacular but often difficult terrain. “I was grateful for the training, especially after the first day when we finally arrived at our first stop in a remote village,” he said.

Tim and Adam set off from their home in Leicestershire one Saturday in November and met up with the rest of the 25 strong group, including Libby, the trek leader, and Sarah, the trek doctor, at Heathrow Airport. “After a 15-hour flight via Kuala Lumpur, an overnight stay in Saigon and then a one-hour flight north to Pleihu, some 30km from the Cambodian border, we were ready to start a trek of a lifetime,” said Tim.

The trek begins

After the first night’s stop, the group embarked on two days’ hiking through remote villages, followed by a five-hour bus journey to the Buon Don National Park to walk with the elephants through the jungle.

“By this time we had covered between 17km and 28km per day. The heat and humidity were certainly a challenge, but the nights were cooling relief,” said Tim.

“We ate Vietnamese food and slept under canvas and in long houses on stilts.” Up at 5.30am and usually asleep by 8pm, the group encountered conditions that were certainly primitive by Western standards – with only cold water for washing and showers!

“Elephants are mighty animals to look at, but not comfortable to ride on!” joked Tim. “We trekked from one watering place for the elephants to another. It was hot, the terrain was hard, and you got dirty from the undergrowth.”

After some 120km (just over 70miles), the group found themselves back at the Buon Don centre, but still no hot showers! “Humidity was always high, so I drank at least four litres of water per day,” said Tim. “I was careful with the food and enjoyed a couple of cans of ‘Tiger’ beer in the evenings.”

Coping in a difficult spot

Many people may be wondering how Tim coped with having a stoma on the Trek. “Well, it was easy and I was in good company with one of the trekkers, stoma care nurse Mandy Rimmer-Gray from Lister hospital in Stevenage,” said Tim. "As well as using colonic irrigation and having supplies with me at all times, I found no problems whatsoever, even in such primitive conditions.”

Tim actually admitted to feeling sympathy for the other trekkers, who found it difficult to find a suitable place to answer the call of nature. “I didn’t have that problem,” he said.

At the end of their journey, Tim and Adam raised an amazing £26,657 for Beating Bowel Cancer. In total, the group raised £96,156.

“We will remember Vietnam as a place of beauty and contrasts. It’s a mass of bicycles and mopeds, with culture, smiling places and warm hospitality not often found in today’s world,” said Tim. “I will also remember all the generous donations and support from everyone who made this remarkable journey possible.”