FEEL & LOOK GOOD
CHRISTINE MEERMAN COOPER
LIVE YOUR DREAMS Self-belief is an extraordinary thing. Christine Meerman-Cooper believes that, with the right motivation, attitude and support, anything is possible. Earlier this year she took on the hardest challenge of her life – a 12-day Arctic expedition into the Brooks Range, Alaska.
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s a child I dreamt of visiting Alaska one day. That dream came true in April 2014 when I headed out to the 19-millionacre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on an Arctic expedition with pioneering musher Joe “Malamute Man” Henderson and his team of 22 Alaskan Malamutes. We journeyed 120 miles across the northern side of the Brooks Range over twelve days, mostly cross country skiing, in some of the most remote areas of the Arctic. I undertook this expedition as an extreme sponsored trek to raise funds and awareness for Malamute Matters, which helps rescue dogs, and Friends of OSCAR, which supports the families of
children diagnosed with brain and spinal tumours. Joe Henderson is something of a legend in the global mushing community, so when Joe posted a status inviting applications for a lucky few to join him on his 2014 expedition, I decided to take a chance and applied. As Trustee of Malamute Matters and an owner of two wonderful Alaskan Malamutes Matters, I wanted to join this expedition to experience firsthand a taste of the life that these dogs had originally been bred for and also to highlight the plight that Malamutes now face. A couple of months before I was due to set off for the Arctic, I became aware of a charity called Friends of OSCAR.
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