When 88-year-old Malcolm Metcalf set off on an adventurous European train trip to raise funds for a Norwich hospice appeal he was sure donations would flood in.
However the Gorleston fundraising champion never imagined it would lead to a reunion with a former Norwich nurse who cared for him while he had tuberculosis in 1953.
His quest attracted media attention and when he returned home he was stunned to find a letter from a former Norwich nurse who had cared for him in 1953 while he had tuberculosis in his spine.
Hilda Burton had been a student nurse aged 19 in 1953 at the former Norfolk and Norwich Hospital site.
Her letter said: "You might remember me! I nursed you on the orthopedic block all those years ago.
"I do so admire you so much when I think of you on that plaster bed for so many months.
"It does not seem possible you made such a wonderful recovery."
Mr Metcalf said: "I contacted Hilda and arranged to meet her. I was given a warm welcome.
"We had plenty to talk about after 70 years. One of her jobs was to give me many of the 180 streptomycin injections I had.
"I remember her for her lovely smile, her dedication, encouragement and kind words."
After their catch-up, Mrs Burton treated her former patient to dinner at the Wensum Valley Hotel.
Mrs Burton was a nurse for 37 years across Norfolk.
Mr Metcalf has been called the "Michael Palin of Gorleston" due to his love of traveling.
The former postman and catering worker is a veteran of long-distance voyages and has raised thousands of pounds for charity over the years, by giving talks about his travels and taking donations.
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