When writer and landscape designer Maggie Keswick Jencks was diagnosed with breast cancer, she discovered first hand that the British National Health Service was unable to provide a supportive place for cancer patients to absorb and accept their diagnosis or explore ways to enhance their recovery. So she spent the last 18 months of her life creating the very first Maggie’s Center at Western General Hospital in Edinburgh.

Later, the Glasgow Maggie’s Center was developed by architect David Page, who converted and extended a disused building to create a series of welcoming and comfortable light-filled spaces. Other centers have been designed by Frank Gehry in Dundee and Zaha Hadid in Kirkcaldy, and a second Glasgow centre designed by award-winning Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas is in the works at Gartnavel Hospital, where the new Beatson oncology centre is located.

These centers provide support for cancer patients and their families; support that is desperately need, especially for terminal cancer patients, such as those suffering from pleural mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the lining of the lungs. Different from lung cancer, mesothelioma is almost always caused by prolonged asbestos exposure and often misdiagnosed or diagnosed too late. There is no cure for mesothelioma, but mesothelioma treatment involves palliative measures like chemo or radiation.

In order to raise funds for this new center and to pay for the professional psychologists and nutritionists who provide high-quality counseling sessions, a Maggie’s Glasgow Night Hike has been planned for September 17th. The 10-mile route starting at Glasgow University is expected to raise £140,000, a target based on 700 participants raising £200 each.

Registrationis £30 per individual and £110 for a team (teams must consist of four to six people), and participants commit to raising a minimum of £200 per individual or £800 per team. Register for the Night Hike at www.maggiescentres.org/nighthike.

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