Newport mum prepares to conquer Alps for cancer charity

Dawn Clayton, 59, from Caerleon, was on holiday in Spain in 2013 when she was struck by what she thought was “horrendous indigestion”. She spent ten days in hospital and reunited with her husband and two children at home.

A year later, the pain returned.

“I phoned up this surgeon and told him who I was, what I did for a living, because I used to do these operations myself at the Heath Hospital 20 or 30 years ago,” she said.

“I was absolutely scared to death because I knew what was in store,” she added.

Dawn climbed five Brecon Beacons peaks in one weekend. (Image: Dawn Clayton)

“I didn’t see my children or husband,” she said. “The reunion was wonderful, to see their little faces. They knew I was OK - just don’t cuddle me too tightly around my tummy.”

He underwent a procedure called The Whipple - a complicated surgery typically used to treat tumours of the pancreas, intestine and bile duct.

But the surgery wasn’t the end of Mrs Clayton's battle as she received gruelling “mop up” chemotherapy for five months.

“I really got out of making Christmas dinner that year,” she said. It was not long after her five-year screening that the pain returned.

“I called my professor in Newcastle and we both couldn’t believe it," Mrs Clayton said. "The thing that I had avoided five years earlier came back to haunt me. There was no choice.”

Mrs Clayton retained her spleen only to fall seriously ill and need it removed barely a week after the operation to take out her pancreas. Now, she must take up to eight tablets with every meal otherwise her body cannot digest food. The surgery also rendered her a Type 3c diabetic.

“It’s a full-time job,” Mrs Clayton said. “You have to learn what your body can and can’t do.”

Last weekend, the "Whipple Warrior" conquered five Bannau Brycheiniog peaks with her husband, Paul, in preparation for a 10-day trek through the Alps.

And on August 16, Mr and Mrs Clayton, both 59, set off from Oberstdorf, Germany, and will climb over 43,000ft en route to their final destination of Merano, Italy, 93 miles away.

“I get butterflies when I think about it,” said Mrs Clayton. “You’ve got to challenge yourself. You’ve got to want to do something, otherwise you’ll never get off the couch.”

Dawn and Paul Clayton (Image: Supplied)

They will walk between around 700 hours each day and pass through Solden, Austria, where they holidayed before her first surgery in 2015.

“My husband didn’t tell me until last week – we’ve got to go over the longest suspension bridge in Austria,” she said. “I might have to do it blindfolded.

“This is to show other people who are lucky enough to survive this that you can do whatever you want to do. You don’t have to limit your life, you enjoy it because this is your second chance.”

For more information, click here: https://www.justgiving.com/page/paul-clayton-1686736704568