Next month, thousands of people will walk through Glasgow to raise money for Maggie�s. Marisa Duffy speaks to two of the inspiring women taking part � and finds that walking can be the start of a new way of life

If you can walk, you can help raise money for Maggie's in Glasgow by taking part in the Walk for Life 2008. The 10-mile walk round the city next month coincides with the sixth birthday of its Maggie's cancer caring centre, and walkers are invited inside the building for a celebratory slice of cake after the event.

Here, two of the women taking part share their stories.

Linda Tomlinson, 47
Two weeks after taking part in last year's walk, Linda, who is from Cardonald, discovered she had breast cancer and ended up using Maggie's herself. This year, the mum-of-two has encouraged friends and family to join her on the walk.

"My friend Diane and I always do the Race for Life to raise money for cancer charities. She lost her husband to the disease and I lost my dad," says Linda. "Last year we decided to do the Maggie's Walk for Life, too.

"I had found a cyst two weeks before the walk but wasn't concerned about it. Two weeks later, I had an appointment at the breast clinic at the Southern General. They told me I had cancer.

"My tumour was quite big so I had chemotherapy to shrink it. That's when I started using the Maggie's Centre. At that time I was quite shy. I wasn't an outgoing person. Going to Maggie's has changed me. Because I'm so passionate about it, every time I went to the hospital, if there were people sitting there I'd tell them to go along for advice.

"I joined a group there and met Sandra and Carol. They both had operations for breast cancer so I knew what was in store. We all started chemo and lost our hair at the same time, so we could support each other.

"I was really sick with the chemo but I'd always try to go to Maggie's afterwards. Even if I wasn't up for speaking or just went for a sleep, everyone understood. The welfare rights person was great. I was having trouble with my bank and my bills - it took six months for my health insurance to come through, which is another common worry.

"Losing your hair is traumatic. A hairdresser came and spoke to us about the best places for wigs and showed us how to wear a headscarf and look after our scalp. We've had make-up artists from all the department stores demonstrating how to put make-up on when you've lost your eyebrows and eyelashes. It makes you feel like a different person.

"My chemo lasted until April, when I had a lumpectomy and my lymph nodes removed. A month later, I started radiotherapy, which finished eight weeks ago. My doctor said everything was looking well but I'll need to have a check-up every six months.

"It wasn't until my treatment had finished that the severity hit me. It makes you appreciate life and what you've got. I'll always go to Maggie's for t'ai chi and yoga. I'm lucky, because the type of cancer I've got can be treated. I do worry about it coming back again, but I know it can be treated again."

Doreen Elliott, 52
Doreen lost her mum to cancer when she was 17. An office administrator for property consultants Ryden, she grew up in the Parkhead area of Glasgow. She has encouraged 20 colleagues to join her on the walk.

"My mum was only 43 when she found the lump in her breast. It wasn't until three weeks later - I think she was scared - that she went to the doctor and the ball started rolling.

"Just after her 44th birthday, she went into hospital for a mastectomy. We didn't know at the time, but the cancer had spread to her bones and her ovaries. Within 18 months of her finding the lump, she was gone.

"It was a shame, because she was still a young woman with her life ahead of her. She was a busty lady, and to lose a breast was a traumatic thing. There was no psychological support, nobody for her to speak to. I'm not saying that if Maggie's was around 30 years ago my mum would still be here, but it would have given her a boost to be able to go and say: This is a dreadful thing that's happened to me.' "Nowadays, you can buy mastectomy bras; my mum had to sew little cotton pockets into her underwear to put a prosthetic breast in. I remember her sitting doing it and I felt sorry for her. She had real down days about the fact she had lost her breast. Although she'd been married to my dad for a long time, she worried that he wouldn't think of her the way he used to. She didn't moan and groan, though - she just got on with it.

"My mum worked evenings so she could be there for us during the day. She was a good, kind person who always put her family first. She just did everything for us. We had to go from that to actually running a house - paying bills and getting the shopping, because my dad worked all day.

"My dad was only 45 when she died, and he went to pieces. We were at a total loss but we learned and we just had to get on with it. Thinking back to those days, I don't know how we actually survived, because we argued so much. Had we had somewhere calming like Maggie's to go to, we could have come home at night and dealt with it a bit better.

"At that age, you think your mum and dad are invincible; nothing is ever going to happen to them. But I don't feel bitter. There's always somebody worse off."

Become a Herald Friend of Maggie's
To mark our 225th anniversary, The Herald is teaming up with Maggie's Cancer Caring Centres and inviting readers to become a Herald Friend of Maggie's.

Personal friends donate by direct debit to Maggie's. This is a simple way to make a big difference.

Active Friends form a fundraising group that represents Maggie's in their area.

Corporate friends can support Maggie's in a range of ways, including holding business breakfast and networking events.

For more information, visit theherald.co.uk/maggies.

To become a Friend, call Ellen Martin on 0845 508 4681.

Have fun, get fit . . . and save money

• Walking for 30 minutes, three days a week, can lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease, according to a study last year at Queen's University Belfast.

• This chimes with official advice on exercise and health, which is that adults should aim to take 30 minutes of moderate exercise most days.

• Walking is easy to fit in to your daily routine. All it means is getting off the bus a few stops earlier, or taking the stairs instead of the lift.

• Walking is also an easy way to save money. Not only is it cheaper and healthier than driving; it has a much less damaging effect on the environment.

• A brisk walk is a good alternative for those who find the gym boring. Walk to a place where you know you can treat yourself once you arrive.

• During a walk, if you can't catch your breath, slow down. Walking needn't be too strenuous: a gentle stroll once a day is still better than nothing.

• Walking an extra 45 minutes a day helps diabetics control their blood sugar levels, according to scientists at Newcastle University. They found that diabetics who walked at lunchtime, or before or after work, burned about 20% more fat than usual.

• Last year, the American scientists who developed the international fitness guidelines of 30 minutes of moderate exercise five times a week sought to clarify their advice. They said that 30 minutes of moderate exercise, which includes brisk walking, is still the minimum, but vigorous exercise such as running or swimming was explicitly to be recommended.