Pictured above: Jenny Kitchell outside the Cathedral at Santiago on the final day of the walk
Wife and husband, Jenny and Tim Kitchell, walked the historic Camino de Santiago and raised an incredible £2,440 for Carmarthenshire Urology Services at Hywel Dda University Health Board.
The couple, who live in St Davids, set off from St Jean Pied de Port in the Basque country on 27th May, finishing at the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela on 30th June.
Jenny was diagnosed with bladder cancer in 2024 and has since been receiving treatment from the Urology team at Glangwili Hospital, which inspired her to take on this challenge.
Speaking about her fundraiser, Jenny said: “Tim and I planned to go on pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, whose cathedral was dedicated as a place of pilgrimage in 1122 at the same time as the cathedral at St Davids, where I’ve worked for many years.
“I walked the full 500 miles, Tim became injured after the 440 miles, so I did the last four stages alone. As anyone who’s walked the Camino will tell you, it is the most exhausting and yet wonderful experience you can imagine and I’m profoundly grateful that I was able to do it.
“I raised just over £2,440 for the Urology Services at Glangwili. I am incredibly grateful for the care I received during treatment for bladder cancer during 2024 and for those who administered my treatment at the Urology Department at Glangwili for over 18 months. Words are inadequate. They made me better when the outlook was pretty dire, and they did it with huge skill, gentleness and great wit.
“I also want to thank all the surgical team, anaesthetists and the utterly lovely staff on Ward 7 at Prince Philip Hospital who nursed me with great kindness.”
Angharad Watkins, Urology Clinical Nurse Specialist, said: “On behalf of the Urology Team at Glangwili Hospital, we would like to extend our sincere thanks for the generous donation. Your kindness is greatly appreciated, and we can assure you that these funds will be put to good use to support and benefit patients receiving care within our service.
“We would also like to congratulate Jenny and Tim on their fantastic challenge, walking the 500-mile Camino de Santiago, what a wonderful achievement!”
Claire Rumble, Fundraising Officer, said: “We can’t express enough gratitude to Jenny and Tim for taking on such an astounding challenge in aid of Carmarthen Urology Services.
“The support of our local communities enables us to provide services over and above what the NHS can provide in the three counties of Hywel Dda and we are extremely grateful for every donation we receive.”
For more details about the charity and how you can help support local NHS patients and staff, go to hywelddahealthcharities.nhs.wales.
