Ward of the Rings: An epic quest to raise money for Jon Ward

Hi, my name is Cari and I am undertaking a barefoot walk to raise money for my old friend Jon Ward who is currently battling stage 4 pancreatic cancer, which has metastasised to the liver.

He is currently engaging with some novel treatment options in Germany (more details below) and supported by his family Valerie, Tony and Alex and wonderful partner Bryony, he wishes to have the maximum chance of recovery and for as much good living as he can. Jon is widely loved and appreciated and his friends and family would love to see him able to stay with us all for a long time.

What exactly am I doing?

The Mendip Ring is a 117-mile long circular walk that follows as closely as possibly the entire circumference of the Mendip District in Somerset. I will start the circular walk around the Glastonbury area and finish on top of Glastonbury Tor, and will be supported in the stages by various friends and family who will help collect me after finishing a stage, returning me to my car parked at the start.

Map of the walk

Article on the walk

Like the hobbits of the shire, I will be embarking on this walk both without shoes, woefully unprepared, and with no clear sense of the enormity of what lies ahead. The walk has 9 legs that average 10-14 miles each, and the full walk can be done in 9-15 days (with shoes) according the the website, but I will be attempting this walk barefoot and as quickly as possible. Jon is in a race against time to explore and engage with treatments that will support him to live, and I want to make sure that my walk reflects both the urgency and the gruelling nature of what Jon has been facing in his treatment.

To follow current progress in the walk, you can follow the Instagram progress page @wardofthering

Will I do the walk in 1 giant mission?

I will be completing the walk in stages to fit it around my work circumstances, but where I can this will be in 2-day stints where I will walk as much as possible. This will mean I will be sleeping rough in between days of walking. Although I have experience of barefoot walking for short distances, I have not attempted anything this long, nor requiring multiple days. Any hurdles that make it difficult to achieve long distances in a day will extend the number of days I am required to walk and as autumn closes in, the walk will become more gruelling and the nights colder, making the challenge increase.

I will upload the walk stats both here and to the Instagram page and update videos with anything relevant such as preparation and progress, as well as leaving links and flyers to the fundraiser at the pubs, shops, noticeboards and human beings I encounter along the way.

Why am I doing it?

I grew up only a few miles away from Jon, and have known him since I was a teenager, his positive energy radiating and his banging tunes echoing through the days and nights of various social gatherings over the years. His battle with cancer since the diagnosis in 2023 has been extremely intense and physically and mentally gruelling, and despite this, he is still maintaining hope and finding solutions to try and beat this disease.

He has endured 8 months of chemotherapy on the NHS to try and control the tumours. During his chemotherapy treatment, Jon

endured immuno-suppression induced sepsis, depression and blood clots, lifelong medication (blood thinners, pancreatic enzymes) and scarring, with months of excruciating pain from his Whipple Procedure, teamed with opioid withdrawal from the amount of pain medication he required during recovery. In April 2024, the NHS determined that the chemotherapy was ineffective (as the tumours were still growing - albeit slowly). Jon's treatment was therefore suspended by the NHS.

This was a devastating decision which was imposed upon Jon against his wishes. So, Jon, Bryony, Alex, Valerie and Tony launched a campaign to raise funds to obtain private treatment abroad, offering genetically targeted treatment options. Jon is currently undergoing this treatment at a private clinic in Germany and needs our help to continue his life-saving treatment plan.

I have been personally touched by this disease within the family as my Mum was diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer and passed away in 2007 at the age of 57, leaving 4 children without their wonderful Mum, family without a sister, daughter, and mother of their children, and so many others without a friend.

I want to do everything I can to give Jon the best chance possible at life, and would be extremely grateful for anything that people can donate towards Jon and his recovery. Donations will be sent straight to Jon's Father so they can be used to support his current treatment protocol.