85-Year-Old Grandmother Channels Grief Into Cycling For 1,000 Miles & Sets World Record

Jul 11, 2023 by apost team

Life is transient, and at one point or another, every human walking the face of the earth will say their goodbyes before leaving for the great beyond. When this happens, a void will be left in the hearts of their loved ones, who will live with the pain of their exit for years until they pass on from this world. 

This implies that the cycle of loss and holding on to memories of loved ones who have passed is a never-ending one that will continue to the end of time. In most cases, people learn to live with the grief of losing a loved one.

While there is indeed no right or wrong way to grieve, there are stages involved in the grief process, from anger, bargaining, guilt, and confusion, to panic, rage, crying, and finally, acceptance. Although the stages of grief are defined, the path and the time it takes to get to the acceptance stage are not. People skip stages and go back and forth through a few stages before finally accepting reality.

Although there is no right way to grieve the loss of a loved one, some people have found comfort in giving back to others or supporting a charitable cause in honor of their loss. This could be done in several ways, including donating to a course, creating a living reminder, and volunteering at a charity. 

One such person channeling her grief toward honoring the life of her loved one is 85-year-old grandma Mavis Patterson from Glasglow, Scotland, who cycled 1,000 miles from April 29, 2023, to May 28, 2023, in memory of her three late children.

Patterson, or Granny Mave, is in her mid-80s, but the grandma showed the stuff she was made of when she spent the days leading up to her 85th birthday cycling around Scotland. 

Patterson's inspiration and driving force was the loss of her three children, all of whom died within four years of each other. The grandma embarked on the ride in honor of the children's memories while raising funds for Macmillan Cancer Support.

For Granny Mave, cycling is a therapeutic outlet for all the losses she has suffered in the past. 

"When I am cycling, I don't think about them so much, which is a big help to me because the grief is unbearable," she told the BBC.

She added, "When my children died I just didn't know what to do. But the cycling has helped me a lot."

She continued, "I do think about them a lot but I've got to face life, so I take on the challenges which are a huge help to me. The last one I did was wonderful because it took my mind off of the children." 

Patterson isn't a stranger to physical fitness. In the video that introduced the 1,000-mile cycling challenge, she explained that she used to run before she took up cycling in her 50s. She has taken on several challenges, including cycling across America and Canada, climbing Kilimanjaro, and holding the world record for the oldest woman to cycle from Land's End to John O'Groats after completing a 960-mile cycle challenge.

In her latest challenge, Granny Mave started cycling on April 9, 2023, at the Mull of Galloway and completed the challenge on May 28, 2023, at the starting point. Patterson’s grandchildren and well-wishers welcomed her at the finish line. She raised about £60,000 (over $77,000) from her latest challenge to support cancer research.

apost.com

What do you think of Mavis Patterson cycling for 1,000 miles in memory of her children? Do you admire her physical strength at her age? How have you handled the loss of a loved one? Let us know — and be sure to pass this article on to friends and family members.