“It is a fair, even handed glorious adjustment of things that while there is infection in disease and sorrow, there is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good-humour”
I never thought I would be writing and indeed quoting Charles Dickens’ Scrooge in my little blog but here we are and although my condition is not infectious, sorrow and laughter equally can be. I was dragged up on the best of British comedy, it is constantly coursing through my veins, it’s a part of my DNA a lot like my muscles-wasting condition quite literally is. There is also a saying that some people can laugh in the face of adversity and I have no choice and I actually enjoy it, it’s my challenge to see who wins, every single day, my weakening muscles and body or my sense of humour that challenges it.
An example of this was a couple of years ago on Christmas day when after spending time at the in-laws we had packed the car ready to go home and I slipped trying to get in the driver’s seat. It was raining and I had parked on the grass and I simply could not get back up and my wife was laughing her head off trying to figure out how to get me up and in the car. I cried too, with laughter, “just leave me here in the mud, I’m too fat to move”, eventually after a good few minutes we got my muddied, weakened body into the car both with tears rolling down our cheeks, these were good tears, we had won, albeit we were both absolutely filthy and knackered!
So, comedy and humour, some might say dark or twisted humour, is ingrained in me, it has been since day one. I was brought up on Monty Python, The Goon show, Carry On, anything written by John Sullivan, Porridge, Morecambe and Wise, Victoria Wood, Julie Walters, The Young Ones, French & Saunders, Desmond's, Bottom, Dudley Moore & Peter Cook, along with a whole host of stand-ups like Bruce Forsyth & Norman Wisdom at the London Palladium, Billy Connolly, Peter Kaye, Lee Evans anything at the BBC Apollo and even some influence from the other side of the water like Robin Williams, Richard Pryor, Bill Hicks and the list goes on.
I’ve absorbed all of these like a sponge, some of this subconsciously as my dad always listened to the Goon shows on the wireless in the kitchen, as he would Dudley Moore and Peter Cook but I loved it and I’ve used it to my advantage too when I’ve needed it most. I remember shortly after my diagnosis in a hospital in Oxford, the doctor had told us that this was a life-limiting, muscles-wasting condition and not much could be done but I was asked to undergo some tests in my underwear, which was pretty undignified because my body doesn’t look the same as others. Before these tests were carried out he asked if I minded if some student nurses came in to observe my movements when carrying out these exercises and everything else that was asked of me. I thought for a while and then realised that if I didn’t let them observe then there wouldn’t be any other chances to do this for anyone because this is such a rare disease, so if I let them as they were the medics of the future and could help someone else going forward. The students came into the room, about 12 of them, and instead of shy away and be scared and worried I ensured them that would never see another body like mine, that what they were about to see would impress them so much and that made me smile inside and made some of them smile on the outside too!
20 odd years later and I went to a football match and just so happened to meet comedian Jon Richardson and he said something like “I’ve read your blog, it’s great, if you ever want me to help out in any way then let me know, here’s my number…”. What Jon didn’t realise was that he’s a hero of mine as in my humble opinion he made one of the best Apollo appearances ever and here we have Mr Clean shoes, Mr La Dee Daa offering to help me (Link to that Apollo gig - The Apollo ).
I called Jon less than 5 minutes later asking him for help with something I had just dreamt up - if we could pull it off it would be amazing and he agreed to call me back on Tuesday evening. I thought I’d blow my chance because I’d jumped at the chance too quickly, but it turns out Jon did ring me back but unfortunately, I was watching ‘Saving Lives at Sea’ on BBC2 on a Tuesday evening, and I asked Jon if I could ring him back later. Was that my chance gone? Not at all, I called Jon back and suggested a BBC Apollo style of event where he could host and bring some of his friends from the comedy circuit along to the show - and the answer was yes!
Mid 2019 and I had the opportunity to be part of a comedy show with the UK’s best talent, a dream could come true. I needed a venue, and I desperately wanted the show to be in my hometown of Aylesbury. The venue was important to me because it would give me the opportunity to give family & friends a small token of my appreciation and gratitude for all their fundraising efforts over the years at the cost-effective price of a ticket.
Sometimes, when it comes to fundraising, I have the Midas touch, I don’t know how it happens and I cannot explain it, but doors open for me, things happen beyond my expectations, and I feel extremely lucky and grateful for that.
Later on that year I had been invited to a party in a pub garden and one of my former colleagues, Phil Chamberlain introduced me to his wife “Hey Martin, this is my wife Steph, Steph works at the Waterside Theatre in Aylesbury”. LIGHTBULB! After I sat down with Steph and explained my idea, I imagine she couldn’t believe it, it sounded impossible but my thought was what a gift to the town if we could pull this off. Steph kindly arranged a meeting with her boss Julie Chitty, and it was at that meeting that I knew I had just made some friends for life. Every question I asked Julie and Steph the answer was “Yes, yes, and yes!”
26th September 2019 I announced on social media that we would host a comedy gig at the Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury, 9th April 2020. ‘Jon Richardson & Friends’ was actually going to happen!
And then it wasn’t.
On 23rd of March 2020 we were all asked to stay at home and I was supposed to shield away from the world because I am a clinically vulnerable person. This went on for at least 18 months and in that time we were met with a harsh reality of my condition, shielding had left me still and static and with that I had lost the ability to walk, my body just deteriorated and I couldn’t help myself, I had felt utterly useless at this time, I suffered from a side-effect of Covid-19. Like always though that was not where I set my concentration, we were still fundraising during lockdown and up and down the UK we had people doing just that, albeit indoors. People climbing the equivalent of Mount Snowdon on their stairs, our friends at The Square Ball were playing Football Manager for 24hrs non-stop, Jon put on a gig on Instagram LIVE with his pal Russell Howard and I even appeared on Sky One with Jon and Russell, which was unbelievably surreal.
Let’s fast forward a bit and after many, many rearrangements were made we eventually got a firm, new date for the gig; March 27th, 2022. Jon Richardson & Friends consisted of Jon, Suzi Ruffell, Harry Hill, Marlon Davis and Russel Kane. With the amazing help from all the staff at Muscular Dystrophy UK, all the staff at the Waterside theatre and our fantastic comedians, the gig was finally upon us.
I met Jon at the theatre with my family and it wasn’t long before the other comedians arrived, and they were all so humble and would not take any thanks or praise. I was speaking with my colleague Debbie, and we were just strolling along the corridors of the theatre and suddenly I was on stage doing a sound check with Jon, Harry and Suzi. This I thought was crazy!
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| Sound Check! |
We had a charity raffle table in the foyer of the theatre, and I wanted to go and check on our volunteers before the curtain went up and I was overwhelmed, I was stunned, and then elated by what I saw. Here were our heroes, our volunteers, our marathon runners, our mountain climbers, cyclists, swimmers and all-round fundraisers in family and friends from all over the UK, I didn’t have time to speak with everyone but for myself and Michelle it was a spectacle. I had been indoors for the best part of two years and the first proper time I had been out was here and now.
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| Some Hywoods Heroes! |
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| Some more Hywoods Heroes! |
It was now so much more than just a charity fundraiser, this was a celebration of family and friendship, and I was bursting with so many emotions, but I had to contain myself as I had promised to go on stage after the show, announce the raffle winners and close the show and this petrified me.
I never expected to do that. I always thought I would bottle it and pass the numbers to Jon to read out or just curl up in a ball in a corner of the theatre somewhere, but I remembered a quote from a family favourite film of ours… “You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it”. I cannot believe I did that, and I cannot thank my wife, Michelle, enough for being with me and giving me that courage.
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| 20 seconds of courage |
A huge thanks to everyone involved with what happened on March 27th, I’ll never forget it, it was sincerely one of the best things that has happened in my life. I actually took the stage with confidence and pride, and I always wanted to prove to my girls that we should not be defined by bad things that happen in our lives, our reaction to those things should be what defines us as a person and I got the opportunity to say that out loud, on stage, in front of 1200 people and my girls were in the crowd.
I just hope that I have made my family & friends proud of what we have all achieved and I am so grateful to everyone that helps us as a family. The importance of good people in our life is just like the importance of heartbeats. It’s not always visible but silently supports you. Myself and my family will be eternally grateful to you all.
A very special thanks to Mr Clean shoes, Mr La Dee Daa!
#MusclesMatter
#HywoodsHeroes
Get Involved - Here
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| That's All Folks! |
