Hey Look, I?m on Top of the World!!

With less than 24 hours to go, it's time to write my last pre Kiltwalk Journal.

I was planning to write it last night, however, there were a number of obstacles in my way.

The few creative writing juices I have, were simply not flowing. I didn't have 'the' picture in mind, I couldn't find any "words of wisdom" or any "motivational" lines to craft. So feeling cold and shivery, with a suspected cold pending, I went to bed early, hoping to feel better this morning.

When I woke this morning, the shivers were gone, so it must have been the "26 mile fear" I experienced last night, however the motivation levels were still low.

I've no idea why they were low, as the excitement levels here at Kiltwalk HQ are at an all-time high as the hard work that Carey, Richard, Alison and our Charity Partners have put in so far means we're "good to go", which is a great feeling.

I also know our Partner Charities, CLIC Sargent, TACC, CHAS, Aberlour and Yorkhill are straining at the leash to be "let loose" on their pit stops and are ready to provide fun, laughter and much needed nourishment for the 3,000 Kiltwalkers who will pass their way.

Then there's our Kiltwalkers as if our Facebook page, Twitter feeds and email inbox are anything to go by, your excitement levels are even higher than ours.

So I have no idea why I was lacking motivation but in an effort to get "in the zone" I had a read through some of the Facebook posts you've made in the past week and they are truly amazing!!

We have an objective here at The Kiltwalk, which is "to become Scotland's best known and most loved fundraising event for disadvantaged children" and when you read peoples posts and remember we ask you to walk TWENTY SIX miles, then I think we're very close to achieving that objective.

With comments like people saying "they're buzzing for Sunday" or "proud to be part of The Kiltwalk" or "are so emotional at the thought of taking part in such a wonderful event and great set of causes" then we're doing something right. I defy anyone to read such comments and not feel lifted and I certainly was, however I realised it wasn't "motivation" or "words of wisdom" I needed, it was INSPIRATION and I knew where to find it.

Tomorrow morning we're being piped out of Hampden by our great Kiltwalk friends, the Caledonian Brewery Pipe Band. However, this year they won't be taking the lead, that honour is going to our seven courageous Kiltwalk Kids. There are of course hundreds of Kiltwalk Kids, all as important to us as the other, however these are seven kids who we've featured in some shape, or form, in the last year and we wanted them to take pride of place on Sunday.

There's Lucy, now 11, who has a condition called Anomalous right pulmonary artery and was and has been 'saved' by Yorkhill.

Then there's Meghan who suffers from Hydrocephalus, a condition that causes swelling and fluid in the brain, which means she is never without pain and has had over 18 brain operations, all performed at Yorkhill. Meghan's older sister Maria, was also treated at Yorkhill as when she was a baby, she underwent a major heart operation which saved her life.

Rhionna, is a young lady who has battled through swine flu, pneumonia, chicken pox, shingles and a collapsed lung all while fighting Leukaemia.

Rhionna, now in remission, is another Yorkhill kid, who also received huge support from CLIC Sargent.

Two of our seven Kiltwalk Kids are walking with heavy hearts, as they're walking on behalf of their siblings who unfortunately aren't with them any longer.

Joshua took part in last year's Wee Walk when he walked as part of Team Dyas, the team walking in memory of Josh's older brother Jordan who died from Leukaemia. Jordan was diagnosed with the disease at only a few weeks old and despite a poor prognosis, he battled and fought with all his might, but sadly died at the age of six in September 2011.

Jordan was being treated in Yorkhill at the same time as Rhionna, and became best friends, a friend Rhionna still thinks of a lot. So much so, she has a picture of Jordan on her window ledge, and is taking part in tomorrow's Wee Walk in Jordan's memory.

Maiya, who is also co writer and singer on the fabulous "26 miles" that will be played at Hampden, is taking part in the Wee Walk once more, while her Dad Gary is walking the full 26 miles, as he did last year. Last year they walked to raise funds for CHAS, who provided great support for Cora, Maiya's sister.

Cora was born with cerebral palsy and spent a lot of time at Robin House and was at the finishing line last year to welcome her sister, Dad and brother as they crossed the finish line. Cora was well known to The Kiltwalk as we met her several times so it's with great sadness we have to announce Cora passed away at the end of last year. Despite the heartache and sorrow, the Speirs family choose to rejoice in the years they had with Cora and are once again taking part in The Kiltwalk to raise money for CHAS and all of Scotland's Bairns.

Finally, there's Ben, pictured above on top of Conic Hill. Ben is 15 years old and a fitter boy you could never meet.

Ben lives life to the full. He ski's, he walks and has won several Wake Board competitions. However, his biggest achievement to date was finishing the London to Paris cycle in 5 days along with his Dad.

You can therefore imagine how shocked his family were when Ben was diagnosed with Leukaemia around a year and a half ago and his family struggled to come to terms with the speed that Ben sunk into the depths of his illness, fading fast.

Like many other kids battling cancer, Ben was also beset by other problems as early on in his treatment one of his Chemo's caused him to have a massive stroke, leaving him bed ridden, with blood clots on his brain and unable to walk or talk, all of which led him to miss the entire 3rd Year of High School.

Ben is now 84 weeks into 154 weeks of treatment at Yorkhill. Treatment that involves a lumber puncture every 12 weeks with chemo injected into his spine then every 4 weeks chemo is delivered via a canula in back of his hand. All of which makes his daily intake of chemo and steroids in tablet form, seem normal.

With this treatment and Ben's sheer determination, Ben is on the mend and is positive, along with his family that he's going to go on and live a normal life, fulfilling all his dreams.

During his stay in hospital Ben started to receive gifts from friends and family and he quickly asked them to contribute to his Yorkhill Just Giving page, which has meant that with other events he's taken part in,

Ben has raised over £30,000 for the Hospital buying vital equipment for the hospital and ward that has become his second home.

So I'm sure you'll agree we have an 'inspirational' bunch of kids and when we announce our seven Kiltwalk Kids tomorrow, please give them a huge cheer, they've earned it.

They are going to lead us out of Hampden and send us on our way. All, that is, with the exception of Ben as Ben doesn't think the fact he's fighting Leukaemia should get in the way of ANYTHING and he, along with his entire family, are walking the 26 miles to Loch Lomond.

If, like me, your mouth is now on the floor at the thought of this, then save that thought and if you find yourself struggling at any point tomorrow, just think of Ben and the other Kiltwalk Kids, I know I will.

Good luck everyone and see you at the end for a beer.