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YOU MAY RECALL the story of Nikki Bradley.
She’s a survivor of a rare form of cancer, known as Ewing’s Sarcoma. It’s afflicted her her entire adult life.
She is also someone who achieves incredible things.
Last time we spoke Nikki had just climbed Errigal, Donegal’s formidable mountain, in the first snow of the new year. On crutches. She told us she was next planning to traverse a glacier in Iceland for her awareness campaign Fighting Fit For Ewing’s (FFFE).
It had to happen quickly – Nikki may have to lose a leg to amputation later this year.
Well, it has happened quickly. She’s done it already. And the photos of her expedition are frankly awe-inspiring.
Deadline
“Well I had a bit of a deadline myself,” Nikki tells TheJournal.ie.
I don’t know what the future is for my leg. I may not have it later this year. And I wouldn’t be able to do what I just did without two legs.
At three in the morning last Friday Nikki and her team of four set out for Iceland from Donegal.
Her team consisted of herself, Donegal Ice Road Trekkers’ Denis Ferry and Leslie O Donnell, acclaimed photographer/film maker Paul Doherty, and industrial climber Ian Parke.
They began their trek on the forbidding Solheimajokull glacier early the following morning after seemingly endless safety briefings. A glacier is not a challenge to be taken lightly it seems.
“You can’t confuse a glacier with a mountain. It’s not an achievable goal, like a summit, it’s something you experience,” she says.
You have guides telling you to follow their footsteps, like their actual footsteps, because the snow is so treacherous, it can just drop into nothing. That’s not an easy thing to do on crutches.
As well as the breathtaking pictures by photographer Doherty, the whole trip was filmed for a forthcoming documentary.
During Nikki and her four teammates’ trek they twice came across abseiling opportunities. The first involved a 45-foot ‘rock of ice’. Nikki felt like she hadn’t done herself justice in descending it:
“I just wasn’t fully able and I was so disappointed with myself, I just felt that my leg had let me down, which was really deflating. I have very high expectations of myself,” she says.
Not to worry, a short time later the team came across an ice cave. Most trekkers apparently don’t bring ropes and climbing equipment – Nikki and her team had. So naturally she jumped straight in.
“I wanted to make it up to myself. And it’s one of the most amazing things I’ve ever done or will ever do,” she said of the descent.
I used my leg all the way down, and my leg is obviously very damaged, so it was very painful. It was so much deeper than we thought, but once I was close to the bottom the fear went away and it was so much easier. And then I could appreciate my surroundings.
When I got to the bottom I knew I was somewhere where very few other people would ever be. There was a chandelier of icicles beside me, a frozen waterfall. It was just absolutely breathtaking.
Trekking the glacier wasn’t all the team did. Later that evening they visited the ruins of a crashed US navy plane, and came across a group of youngsters from New Zealand who had become trapped in the snows. So they rescued them.
“They were so cold and so badly stuck – it ended up being a rescue mission. We got them to nearby accommodation and then the next day we saved their car – the display of teamwork I saw was really heartwarming, it really was,” says Nikki.
Finally, the day they were due to fly home to Ireland, Nikki and her team climbed 7km up and down a mountain to have a bathe in the natural springs at the top. She wanted the weekend to be a no-holds barred event, no stopping until she and her team had wrung everything possible out of their three days.
“You get nothing easy in Iceland,” she says.
You earn what you get, but it is certainly worth it.
She says she can’t do justice to the natural beauty she saw on the trek. Looking at the photos you can see what she means. They’re otherworldly.
“And now we’re back to horrible old Ireland,” she laughs.
On her terms
There are many reasons for Nikki’s exploits.
“I’m hoping to raise a little money for childhood cancer. I’m hoping to inspire others,” she agrees.
But mostly, I don’t know what’s round the corner for me. Anything that comes my way I have to grasp it.
The same week that Nikki and her team left for Iceland she had a letter from her specialist in Birmingham, England. The problem with her leg hasn’t gone away, and the process has just kicked off again.
“Like I knew that letter was coming, and that the ball would continue to roll,” she says.
I knew my focus would have to shift and I’d have to start thinking of my health again.
But you see I just don’t know. My situation is unique, my consultant says I’m one of maybe 10 people worldwide experiencing this – I can’t just google it and find a solution.
Even if she does lose her leg, Nikki won’t stop.
“I’ll find a way, to live life on my terms, I’ll find a way,” she says.
But part of this experience is realising that I’m not a superwoman and that I do have limitations.
I couldn’t have done Iceland without two legs. A time will come when I can’t do what I can do now.
But I’m curious about my own abilities. I want to see what I can do.
If you’d like to know more about Fighting Fit For Ewing’s, or to get involved, you can email info@nikkibradleyspeaks.com for more information
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And so it begins.
@Peter O Donoghue: not really, it’s been on the books for ages.
Ulster Bank has been an after thought fir RBS for years now
@Peter O Donoghue: been going on a while, virtually nothing to do with covid.
@Aaron: spot on, this was happening one way or another.
Ulster Bank has been run by its parent RBS ,since 2006 . RBS have had such a time of paybacks and rigging of rates in the UK they have changed their name to Nat West and are trying to “turn over a new leaf” .
Ulster Bank should have their banking licence removed for their treatment of their customers
@Top Horse Shop: I’ve found it no different to bank of ireland and AIB. The prices in the market are almost fixed.
They’ve carved up the Irish market where customers have nowhere to run.
@Top Horse Shop: I think that ulster was owned by Nat west to begin with, Nat west was the investment side of the business for a few years trading as Ulster investment bank in Ireland then moved to RBS a few years ago when they got sold to RBS who got a massive bailout from British government that they are still trying to pay back. Would suspect that RBS want to dump some of the debt they have on Ulster bank and do a Debenhams on it then pass any savings they make from selling what they can back to British government.
@Peter McGlynn: kbc. They are lovely.
@Top Horse Shop: Ulster Bank card services, well I won’t miss them one bit! :-D In branch services were generally good over the years, even though, since the branch closures things have been more difficult to access. I’m happy to have made the move to KBC earlier in the year, though they are also closing some hubs now too. For me I can get lower fees, better savings rates, and hopefully less lies, and fictional letters and calls, if I ever have issues with my cards! Fingers crossed I haven’t jinxed it there! :-)
@Adam Col: sure they are ! Read the central bank tracker mortgage fraud report on them
- they are a disgrace.
@Top Horse Shop: lots of legacy issues to emerge shortly
Obviously hasn’t a clue what’s going on in the financial world in Ireland then despite being finance minister
@John Egan: English owned bank, deciding on its own strategy in England to suit interest of its primary stakeholders…. UK government. They’re hardly going to be picking up the phone to Paschal after each strategy meeting to keep him appraised. And you can bet the UB Ireland senior management are being told to keep shtum too or else risk losing their tidy severance packages
@Kevin Cassidy: Well you’d imagine Central Bank should be informed at a minimum of signal of shifting out of the Irish market.
@Dave.: agree with you but given the way the Brits are acting at the minute with Brexit, wouldn’t really surprise me if this lot are following suit with dodgy tactics
@Dave.: Oh I am sure they would be, when NatWest has all the boxes ticked and ready for the final move. For now, when it is not internally finalised they can do whatever and say whatever – all behind the closed door. Reality of any fin corp. That’s how they do business.
@John Egan:
May I suggest he has a chat with his FG buddy Brian Hayes who has all the right connections in the banking industry.
There is one word to sum them up and it rhymes with bankers
Ya I’d say it will keep him up all night. Unlike those who work for Ulster Bank.
So what happens to customer’s deposits in the ROI? Are they guaranteed by NatWest?
@Handsome McWonderful: Covered by us – the taxpayer via the deposit guarantee scheme that applies to all banks regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland.
In the event of a wind up or sale, deposits aren’t at risk in any case – customers will be simply advised to find a new home for their funds.
@Dara O’Brien: Cheers Dara. I’ve read a few articles regarding this story over the last month and not once has that been mentioned.
@Handsome McWonderful: There aren’t any customer”s deposits in ROI for the simple reason that there isn’t a country called ROI but there is a country called Ireland and it has been called Ireland since 1937. This is the case despite ignorant journalists including RTÉ saying different.
@James McErlain: oh take a day off
@James McErlain:
Sorry the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 states
“It is hereby declared that the description of the State shall be the Republic of Ireland.”
http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1948/act/22/enacted/en/print#sec2
Shouldn’t even be of government concern. The chequebook needs to stay in the pocket this time.
This is a long time coming to be fair. Should not be a surprise!
Henry the Hippo to give his views on the matter later in week
They sold my mortgage off to a vulture fund few weeks ago, I wouldn’t be shocked
@Sam Louise: as long as u keep up repayments nothing should change i think
What’s happens to mortgages taken out with this bank?
Thats code for…..we’re closing soon
Time to switch bank!
What happens with the pensions being paid into Ulster Bank ,? Do people have to switch over to a different branch now ?
Not a nice bank to deal with
have your say