Leominster woman Rebecca Ellsmore will next month be re-tracing the nightmare dash she made to her mother’s bedside last summer after learning that she had been critically injured in a violent attack at her home in South Wales.
Cashier Rebecca, 25, who works at Top Ten Bingo in Leominster where her husband, Lee is manager, explained that a 75-mile walk from her home to the Royal Glamorgan Hospital will be very symbolic.
She hopes it will help her to come to terms with those shocking hours in July 2009.
“My mother was attacked in her own home, leaving her battling for her life,” said Rebecca, who lives in Leominster with her husband and four children.
The couple were alerted to the crisis by a call from police in South Wales and after making arrangements for their children to be looked after they began an agonising drive to the hospital.
Rebecca told the Journal: “I was having a lie-in, and my husband said the phone had been ringing but the number was withheld.
“I was feeling a bit groggy as I’d just woken up, when the caller said it was the police, there’d been an accident. We were asked how fast could we get to South Wales.
“We said we needed 10 minutes to sort the kids out and we’d be on our way,” she explained.
As they drove to Llantrisant, they were also warned that her mum, Kathryn (known as Jill) might not survive long enough for them to reach the hospital. Fortunately Jill pulled through and is now on the road to recovery.
Rebecca wants to revisit that terrible journey on foot with three friends on October 10 to help her deal with the trauma, as well as raising money for the Intensive Care Unit.
Endurance
“I decided what I needed to do was to retrace my steps to try and finalise this in my mind,” she said.
“After five surgeons spent more than 10 hours in theatre, more than 1,000 stitches and staples, my mother spent three days on ventilation in intensive care. “It is only a two-hour drive but it was the longest trip of my life. Our feat of endurance will be hard but it will be nothing compared to the suffering my mother has overcome to be alive today.”
Rebecca added: “My mother is an amazing and beautiful woman and I am proud to call myself her daughter.”
Jill was allegedly attacked last July by her estranged husband Roger Hallett, who hit her over the head with a hammer and tried to slit her throat. Just 24 hours after his appearance before Pontypridd Magistrates on a charge of attempted murder, the 62-year-old was found hanged in his cell at Cardiff Prison.
More than a year later, Rebecca’s mother is proud of her daughter’s plans.
“She uses a wheelchair mostly but she is in her own training,” said Rebecca. “When I told her about the walk, we both had a bit of a cry but that started the ball rolling and now my friends and I are in serious training.”
Already the four – Rebecca and her friends, Sarah English, 27, Sarah Jones, 28, both from Leominster, and Rebecca Saunders, from South Wales who is currently working in Leominster – are working to a training regime.
“We have just done a 20-mile walk to Weobley and back, and then we’re going to do a 30-mile walk to Tenbury,” she explained.
Her husband will be assisting with back up support as the four women battle through the Brecon Beacons on their anticipated two-day walk.
Rebecca, who has already raised £1,000, praises the support of local businesses and people. “The Hop Pole pub has offered to donate water for the journey, South Street Stores are providing energy drinks and the Little Bus Company will donate £1 a mile while One-Stop Print Shop is printing t-shirts and hoodies,” she said.
“Top Ten Bingo in Leominster and all over Wales are raising money for us.”
For more information go to the Jill’s Journey Facebook page.