Due to having a degenerative condition I have been petrified by Covid-19 and the threat it brings. My immune system runs at about 20% and I feel that my body would not be able to fight it. During this time, I have been trying my best to exercise but I’m limited due to space and we’re still waiting for official advice from governing bodies to instruct us when it is safe to go outside again.
I would usually see my private physical trainer (PT, Gregg) in Aylesbury on a one-to-one but of course this has been impossible, which is a massive shame. Gregg takes care of me physically and psychologically and the two go hand-in-hand, as I always leave the dojo exhausted but extremely happy due to the amazing endorphins having a party!
Sadly, over this period, little by little, I have deteriorated physically, which in effect has done similar things to my head. I have been trying my best to stay positive and keep walking, but I’m now only covering a few steps around the house and not any kind of distance at all. The muscle mass and muscle memory are fading away, and it’s strange to think that Covid-19 would have these side-effects on my family and I. I’m finding it difficult to lift my arms too and have to help myself by using my left hand to lift my right hand and vice-versa. I’m losing functions daily, things I used to be able to do on a Tuesday I cannot now do on a Wednesday; it’s that noticeable to me.
Just yesterday I started to think of the things I did before COVID hit and whether I would be able to do them again? The dog walks with family and just some fun in the park or at the beach. I’m a huge family person too and I miss the hugs and the emotion of meeting up.
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| Myself and son-in-law getting stuck! |
I’m a very lucky man and have lived a great life so far and been so fortunate to have been to places and seen so much with my wife, but I now have concerns for others around me and I believe that we should be selfless and help where we can. With social media during this time we can see others struggle too.
Online I have seen the struggles of young friends like Finley (Spinal Muscular Atrophy) and Carmela (LMNA Congenital Muscular Dystrophy), young children who deserve a better future, some hope and light out of all this darkness.
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| My mate Finley! |
I have been inspired by their families and all they are having to deal with at the moment, and I would like to try to help, to make sure there is a future for them, to reassure them that fundraisers are still out there doing their best to help others, just like my team always do. And so I came up with a plan to help myself, the charity and most importantly children like Finley and Carmela.
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| Carmela the warrior! |
As you know, I am a very proud volunteer and ambassador for Muscular Dystrophy UK and right now the charity that we volunteer for faces a huge crisis with a funding gap of £2.8 million, due to the current COVID-19 crisis.
On June 20th (this Saturday!) the Football League starts again and with help from The Square Ball and the Leeds United Supporters’ Trust, a group of family and friends will cover the distance it takes to get our family from Aylesbury to Elland Rd, Leeds and then back again on Sunday June 21st! That is 316 miles!
We will cover this distance between us by walking, running, cycling and maybe even swimming! I will be walking impossible miles in the safety of my back garden with support from my wife and the girls.
The objective is to raise vital funds for Muscular Dystrophy UK so these children and their families have a charity to turn to in the future, to help myself and try to get moving physically, to push myself to the limit and therefore help my mental health too.
A few years ago, I was the guinea pig for a campaign called ‘Move a Mile for Muscles’. Well you can consider this the 2020 relaunch of that campaign. It might not sound like much, but to organise 30 people all over the UK to take part in a virtual baton relay covering 316 miles is quite something, and this all has to be completed by midday on Sunday 21st June, because that’s when Leeds United re-start their campaign in the Football League, so we have a deadline too!
I would like to conclude with many thanks and so much gratitude. This has not all been a negative situation. We have clapped for our carers; neighbours have knocked to ask if we needed any shopping or supplies and we’ve never spoken in the past, friends have called round for social distancing coffee, sharing delivery slots with family and so many video calls from family and friends far and wide (Perth, WA!) when we may not have usually done any of that.
We must now try to take some of this experience with us when we go forward in life, some of the empathy and compassion is what should become the ‘new normal’; the polite conversation between the courier or the shopping delivery person, waving to the neighbours from our windows and the calling of concerns for welfare over the garden fence. We should put more emphasis on how easy it is to be selfless because it will cost us nothing at all.
If you would like to take part in ‘Move a Mile for Muscles’ or get involved in any way to help me to help others, then you can get in touch on my social channels, start your own page and sponsorship would be greatly appreciated here...
https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/hywoodsheroes
Little by Little we can make a huge difference.
Cheers!
#MoveAMileForMuscles
#HywoodsHeroes
#MusclesMatter
