Son's 52-Hour Trek Honors Mother's Memory and Mental Health

In November 2018, Karen Andrews, a 52-year-old mother of three, tragically passed away from a brain aneurysm just hours before a night out with friends. Her son, Jake Keogh, recalled that the last time he saw his mother, she was in "high spirits" that Sunday afternoon.

To honor Karen's memory, Jake organized a challenging 52-hour trek, representing each year of his mother's life. The grueling journey, which began on November 7, 2025, and concluded on November 11, 2025, was "deliberately and meaningfully planned" to provide a sense of closure for Jake. Despite facing physical pain and exhaustion, Jake was determined to complete the walk, which he saw as a way to turn "something so awful into something more powerful."

Karen's colleagues at Clatterbridge Hospital, where she worked as a nurse, also paid tribute to her by establishing a memorial that includes a plaque and photograph displayed on the ward. Jake described the emotional scene at his mother's funeral, where the nurses formed a "huge guard of honor" in the rain to honor her.

In the aftermath of his mother's passing, Jake was in a "really bad place" for a long time. However, he wanted to be open and vulnerable about his mental health journey, hoping to break the stigma around men's mental health. The outpouring of support and donations he received from people he hadn't spoken to in years showed that there are people who care about his story more than he could have imagined.