The mother of a five-year-old girl who passed away from a rare illness is heading for Pembrokeshire as she takes part in her third major fundraising ‘Walk of Love’, encapsulating the last journey her daughter took across the South West of England before tragically passing away in December 2015.

Forty-three-year-old Natalia Spencer from Cheltenham poignantly set-off on Mother’s Day (Sunday, March 11) at her local hospital in Cheltenham, where her daughter Elizabeth was first admitted in December 2015.

While retracing Elizabeth’s last journey to Bristol children’s hospital, the grieving mother will aim to shine a light on the huge geographical area that the hospital covers as a specialist regional centre of paediatric care. Heading west from Cheltenham to Gloucester Royal Hospital, Natalia is aiming to walk 1,000 miles in 70 days, passing through the far-reaching catchment area, and visiting 30 hospitals on her way - from Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro to the Great Western Hospital in Swindon - which refer poorly babies and children for further treatment in Bristol. On Tuesday, May 29, Elizabeth’s birthday, she will reach Bristol children’s hospital.

Natalia will be leaving Aberystwyth Hospital on May 7 and arriving at Withybush Hospital in Haverfordwest on May 11. The following day, she will be heading for Carmarthen, visiting Glangwili on May 15 before continuing east to Swansea and Morriston and Singleton Hospitals enroute to Bristol.

Elizabeth was taken ill in November 2015 with a relatively common virus which triggered an autoimmune condition known as Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). This rare condition caused Elizabeth’s body to go into septic shock, shutting down her major organs and cutting off the blood supply to her limbs. Elizabeth spent 18 days on life support in Bristol children’s hospital, but despite doctors’ best efforts, she passed away on December 10, 2015.

Natalia said: “Retracing that last journey to Bristol Children’s Hospital is going to be incredibly tough for me personally, but what keeps me going is that with each step I take, each person I meet, and each penny I raise, I am keeping Elizabeth’s memory alive and creating a legacy in her name.

“Raising awareness of the lifesaving work by the many teams of Bristol Children’s Hospital is so important to me. While my Elizabeth lost her battle to a rare, aggressive condition, I am grateful every single day for the level of care they provided not just to her, but also to her family in an absolutely devastating time. My grief will stay with me forever, but so will my eternal thanks for their expertise, their care and their compassion.”

This is Natalia’s third fundraising challenge in memory of Elizabeth. On February 7, 2017, she finished her epic ‘Walk of Love’ which saw her walk 6,000 miles around the UK’s coastline following her devastating loss. She received a real heroes welcome when she passed through Tenby on that occasion. The journey took 305 days in total, with people across the country donating over an incredible £200,000 to her cause, the Bristol Children’s Hospital Charity The Grand Appeal. On December 18, 2017, Natalia laced up her walking boots again to take on an 80-mile walk in just 24 hours, across the Isles of Lewis and Harris to mark the second anniversary of Elizabeth’s passing, completing it despite adverse weather conditions, which resulted in Natalia suffering hyperthermia. To date, Natalia and her supporters have so far raised over £230,000 for The Grand Appeal.

Suzanne Maverick, fundraising manager at The Grand Appeal, said: “It’s hard to find the right words to describe Natalia and her fierce commitment to improving the lives of other sick children in Elizabeth’s memory. She is an inspirational, determined and exceptional fundraiser, and above all else, a grieving mother trying to deal with this profound loss and bring something good from it.

“Money raised by Natalia and her amazing supporters is helping us buy life-saving equipment for the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit at Bristol Children’s Hospital and helping to protect other parents from the heartache Natalia endures each day.”

To help Natalia along the way during her walk, please donate by visiting www.justgiving.com/Natalia-Spencer or texting ELIF55 and your donation amount to 70070.