On June 14th 2025, Andrew Fraser will be taking on the CELTMAN! Extreme Scottish Triathlon, raising vital funds for Highland Hospice in memory of his wife Alison who was cared for at the Hospice.
Alison was admitted to the Hospice during the middle of November last year after experiencing some back pain. After some tests it was discovered that she had a tumour in her lung and various other places.
When caring for Alison at home started to become a struggle, she was admitted to the Hospice to receive our care. While her pain wasn't gone, she was more comfortable than before. Andrew remarked: "The care from the nurses was great, she was eating a lot better, she seemed happy sending me pictures of her lunch. There was a comfort knowing that there's people there taking care of her." Andrew went on to say that one of the nurses told him "You concentrate on being a husband, and we'll concentrate on being nurses", he added "And that was a relief, that I knew she'd be looked after right to the end".
Andrew recalled how the Hospice staff went above and beyond for Alison, "The facilities here are great, it's the best of everything and Alison was very comfortable. The staff were so amazing. He recalls Alison's favourite time when she had asked a staff member for a hot chocolate. The café was busy and after 20 minutes, there was no sign of it so they assumed the lady had got got called away or forgotten. It turned out that there had been no cream or marshmallows in the café, so someone had popped out to Tesco to buy some especially for Alison.
Andrew said, “Alison was so delighted, and we got a photo of her holding her hot chocolate. Those little touches made an impression."
During her final week she had a bit of a surge and was able to see her family which Andrew described as being a "special day". Alison passed away on Boxing Day.
The Celtman Extreme Triathlon is a gruelling race centred around the Torridon mountains that includes a 3.4k swim in freezing cold Atlantic waters, a 200k cycle and a 42k run to finish it off. It's not for the faint hearted
Andrew reflected on how difficult it is to feel motivated in the run up to the Celtman. "Some days I just can't be bothered getting up, I want to stay in bed. Now that I've sort of announced that I'm doing this event to everyone, it's like, no, there's lots of people now watching me. I have to get up, I have to train."
Andrew remarked how despite Alison's illness, she still encourage him to compete in the Celtman, "It's better than just sitting on the couch and feeling sorry for myself. It gives me something to focus on, which is good."
Andrew has so far raised over an incredible £4,600 for Highland Hospice. If you would like to support Andrew, you can do so via his Just Giving page.
