The Captains Who Cheered Us On and Warmed Our Hearts

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I wanted to add a word or two specifically about the wonderful children of Rugute, known affectionately as Rugute's Captains.

During our little jaunt around Lithuania, we were honoured by the presence of many of the children that the Rugute charity supports. many of these children are actively receiving treatment for their conditions, some are thankfully in remission.

All of them warmed our hearts and strengthened our resolve to complete our journey.

In Panevezys we met :

Naglis, Zilvinas, Vilte, Ignas and Kipras

we were also met by friends of Rugute, Ieva and Benas.

In Siauliai we met :

Julija and her brother Mindaugas, Ugne and Abhajus

In Klaipeda we met :

Reinoldas and his sister Simonija together with Domantas and his brother Danielius

In Silute we met :

Justina

In all cases, these children reminded us of why we were in Lithuania suffering sore muscles and aching bodies. At each meeting our resolve was strengthened and we were reminded that our pain was fleeting and would only last a few days, whereas these brave children were fighting a much tougher battle.

They and all the captains receive our grateful thanks for their gifts of their presence on our ride, their wonderful pictures and all the gifts that we received both this year and last.

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