In 2012 Reuben Boyes, 63, of Lochmaben, battled against the odds, not only to survive, but to get back onto his feet within five weeks.
Explaining where his fight came from, he said: “My father told me when I was young that there were two rules in life. Rule One – don’t give up and never be beaten.
Rule Two-don’t forget rule one.” In an effort to recover from his illness, determined Reuben began to walk.
He started off walking around the garden but eventually built up to quite large distances, recalling an occasion he walked from Hightae to Lockerbie.
And he decided that as well as aiding his recovery, it could also have another purpose.
It was then that he decided he was going back to the Edinburgh hospital, using the same route the ambulance did in 2012.
He said: “I’m doing it a different way. This time, I’m walking.”
Enlisting the help of friends, Reuben began to build a bespoke trailer to pull all the way to the capital. The trailer will be where he eats and sleeps for as long as his journey takes him.
Reuben begins his walk next week, on August 12, four years to the day that he took ill.
He has begun fundraising for this journey with all money raised going to the Brain and Spine Foundation. Donations can be made in person at Lochmaben Shooting Supplies or by visiting www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Reuben-Boyes-walk-for-life
