Breast cancer patient's mission impossible
-- to walk along China's Great Wall

Ms Slykhuis, 69, is an Australian who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. But cancer has not stopped her from embarking on a journey exploring the Great Wall. Starting at Yumen Pass, northwest Gansu province, she trekked more than 3,000 kilometers in six years.

At 62, she set off on a solo journey on foot across north China along the Great Wall in March 2008. Her plan was to walk along all the sections of the Great Wall in eight years. During her trip, Slykhuis promoted protection of the Great Wall to other tourists.

The idea of walking along the Great Wall originated in 1999 when she took care of an elderly Alzheimer patient as a volunteer in an Australian hospital. Sylvia learnt that the patient went to China before. The patient was noncompliant until one day Sylvia mentioned the Great Wall. Later Slykhuis promised her patient that she will fulfill his dream - walking along China’s Great Wall.

Winding its way across north China, from the Yellow Sea to the Gobi Desert, the Great Wall is one of humankind’s most impressive accomplishments.

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The article is edited and translated from《澳洲癌症老人徒步长城3000公里 欲圆“长城梦”》, source: Xinhua News, author: Wang Peng.