Charlie Hughes walks 230km from Nanango to Cooparoo

Battling blindness, extreme heat and unbearable pain, Charlie Hughes proved the doubters wrong when he completed his epic 230km walk. Here is his story:

James Maxwell, Charlie Hughes and Leisa Green at the start of Charlie's 230km walk from Nanango to Coorparoo.

When Nanango resident Charlie Hughes, 33, announced he would walk 230km from Nanango to Coorparoo to raise funds for Vision Australia, many doubted he could or would do it.

On Monday, he proved them wrong.

Charlie pushed himself through pain he said he had never experienced before while raising thousands of dollars in donations.

“It’s the biggest thing I’ve ever achieved in my life,” he said at the end of it.

“It’s just been so amazing with so much support. I’m lost for words at the moment.”

Charlie Hughes walked from Nanango to Coorparoo to raise funds for Vision Australia.

Charlie's life has not been easy.

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In 2020, he received the worst news of his life after seeing an eye specialist about his vision.

After some eye scans, the doctor sat down with him.

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“He said, ‘mate I’ve got some sad news, you’re legally blind and you can’t hold a licence’.

“He asked for my licence … and he chopped it up in front of me. My whole life changed in one whole day and from that day onwards I lost everything. I lost driving, I lost working, I lost playing sports.”

He was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa, a rare genetic eye disease that progressively gets worse over time.

After receiving the news, Charlie went into a deep depression.

“I shut off everyone for six months. I stayed in my bedroom, I didn’t talk to anyone. I would come out of my room to get food and I put on kilos.

After he was diagnosed, his vision became significantly worse.

“I can only see 6m in front. It’s hard to see writing.”

James Maxwell, Charlie Hughes and Leisa Green at the start of Charlie's epic walk from Nanango to Coorparoo.

It wasn’t until Charlie started attending My Life Social Activities and Respite, a private disability service run by Timothy Walsh, that he started to get out of his depression.

He thanked Mr Walsh, his other support workers, his family and friends for helping him out of that dark period in his life.

During a trip to the Gold Coast with Mr Walsh, Charlie was inspired by one of the other clients who had completed a walk for epilepsy and decided to do one himself for blind people.

“This walk was an opportunity for Charlie to prove that his life had value,” Mr Walsh said.

Charlie had trained for months for the walk but was unprepared for the obstacles he faced.

The walk started on Saturday, November 11. Over the initial 40km, he suffered major cramps in his legs and had to lie down and rest while his supporters cooled him down with ice.

Charlie Hughes takes a rest during his 230km walk from Nanango to Coorparoo.

By day three, the temperatures soared over 35 degrees, with days four and five getting close to 40 degrees.

Charlie would stop in the middle of day and resume again in the evening, avoiding the hottest part of the day.

On day five he started walking at 3am and did not finish until after 9pm.

Disaster struck on day six. He was in so much pain the team decided to suspend the walk.

“I couldn’t fight no more, the pain got to me, the heat got to me and the whole body shut down,” Charlie said.

“I had no fight, nothing. There were tears.”

It wasn’t just the heat Charlie was fighting. He had serious pain on the bottom of his feet along with other issues.

“My left hand froze up, the bottom of my feet were hurting.”

Mr Walsh and Charlie decided it was best to rest for two days before resuming the walk.

He recovered with a spa, sauna, stretching and two float sessions donated by City Cave Float and Wellness Centre Ipswich where he floated in a pool filled with 400kg of epsom salts, before resuming the walk on Saturday.

Charlie described the last day as one of the most physically challenging. His feet were in pain again and he was completely drained.

“I was exhausted, the pain … it was raining.”

Despite the suffering, he pushed through to the end and completed his goal, covering almost 230km and exceeding his $5000 fundraising goal, raising more than $7500 for Vision Australia.

Charlie Hughes finishing his 230km walk from Nanango to Coorparoo to raise money for Vision Australia.

Charlie’s effort reduced some of his supporters to tears. Mr Walsh could not have been more proud of him.

“Charlie has built confidence and resilience within himself. He now knows he can take on the challenges of life head on, but most importantly, he doesn’t have to face these challenges alone,” Mr Walsh said.

Charlie said he now knew he could push through pain and get through to the other end.

“I’ve taught myself to fight for things and be a stronger person in life,” he said.

Although he achieved his goal, he is already looking to the future.

“I’m going to do this walk every year, but not in summer,” he said, laughing.