The Eleventh Hour

It seems I’ve made a mistake. The chance to vote for #MYWBpledge did not finish at midnight last night, it finishes at midnight TONIGHT!

This is my last chance to encourage you to vote for me…

In the 70s I used my legs to bounce on my space hopper. In the 80s I used my legs to ride my Burner BMX. In the 90s I remember running across a road in West Yorkshire to get to the hospital to be part of the birth of my first born; Lucie. In the 00s I used my legs to walk down the aisle to marry the most beautiful woman I ever did meet.

Now, what does the future hold for my legs? I really don’t know.

I do know this; I intend to fill 2016 with fantastic memories for my girls. The whole point of me entering this competition is for my girls to see what can be achieved regardless of what some might say is difficult and challenging circumstances. Also, I hope that what we are doing now will help somebody with my condition in a few years’ time. I hope that others don’t fall like I do, don’t feel weak like I do and don’t feel constantly exhausted like I do. I hope that many more people will be able to do all of what I’ve mentioned above because we’re raising awareness and funds right now.

I’m not a natural at what I do, every time I have gone onto a radio station I have nearly been sick, every time I’ve stood up in front of all my colleagues or any audience I have panicked so much my heart feels like it will pop out of my chest, it really doesn’t sit well with me to talk about this condition but it has to be done, otherwise nobody would ever know.

Since I started raising awareness I have kept a scrapbook, a portfolio of memories for Lucie, Olivia and Skye to look back on. It contains every blog, every newspaper article, photos, certificates and acknowledgements of our achievements. This is my legacy to them; this is how I’m trying to be the best Daddy I can be.

A saying I’ve heard often and stuck by myself is that if you do not like something in life then change it, if you cannot change it then change your attitude towards it, so that’s what I do. I cannot take any medicine, there is no prescription for me but what I do have is my family, friends and my challenges to keep me on my feet.

I’ve seen other parents score strikes when bowling to rapturous applause and joyous laughter “That was my Daddy’s strike”, I’ve seen other parents win a race at a school sports day “That was my Daddy that won that” as they lean to my youngest daughters ear and this is also something I cannot do, I can, however walk and so that’s what we’ll do. We will walk one mile-a-month to iconic sporting arenas and events in 2016 which is an Olympic year and also 50 years since England won the World Cup. Then my girls can say “That was my Daddy that walked that!”

I’m a very lucky man, everyone I have asked to help me in 2016 has been extremely accommodating with an ‘open arms’ attitude for which I am very grateful. This started in autumn of 2015 when I asked actor, Ralph Ineson to help with my very own short film to promote my intentions for 2016, he replied “It would be an honour to get involved” and this, with the help of friends, Paul Adams and Steve Richmond, is how we made this short film.

So far we have raised 36 hours of research in the first two months of this year and we’ve already made some fantastic memories and you can see them here.

https://flipagram.com/f/kf4hokUCIq

So you see this competition is imperative, it is an opportunity to take my Orange t-shirt on tour for all to see, so people can raise questions about the condition of which I can answer and to raise funds to treat others in the future.

This is not a vanity project; it’s not about me at all really. A very big reason is for this one picture right here, the people in it, our year ahead and the memories we’re going to make

This is a life changing opportunity to make my world bigger with The Discovery Channel UK and you can come with us too!

So, for the very last time of asking…

1. Vote for "Martin from Buckinghamshire"

2. Vote for two other people.

3. Fill out Name, email and phone number.

4. Hit "Submit"

5. When you receive a "Thank You!" you have successfully voted

http://www.discoveryuk.com/pledges/vote-now-2/

Thank you to everyone that has voted, shared, hit RT and encouraged others to vote for me, I’ll probably never be able to thank you all enough but you must know it’s appreciated from the bottom of my heart.

#MoveAMileForMuscles

#IfICanYouCanToo

Standing on the Shoulders of Giants

Mile 2: Iffley Road, Oxford.

It was in 2013 that I started to raise awareness about Muscular Dystrophy; I wanted to ‘Move a Mile for Muscles’ and all I could think of was the most famous mile in history.

On the 6^th of May, 1954 Sir Roger Bannister ran a sub four minute mile at the Iffley Road track in Oxford and I’ve always wanted to get onto that hallowed ground. I never got round to it, it’s something that I’ve always put off “We’ll go there another day, we’re too busy”. So in 2013 I did carry out my mile but in the luxury of a venue nearer to home and more convenient to myself.

Things have changed and an opportunity has presented itself to me and there is no way that I will be turning it down, I will be getting onto one of the most famous tracks in the world. 

I have become so intrigued and interested with sports people that are mostly alone in their event and how they overcome everything that comes with that. Some might say that Roger Bannister was not alone and he was helped by pace makers, similar to that of a boxer with his team in the corner of the ring. The pace makers of the mile were Chris Chataway (co-founder of the Guinness book of records) and Chris Brasher (sports journalist and co-founder of the London Marathon), these three men were a band of brothers and had a lot to prove as Bannisters training techniques were considered controversial and most certainly unorthodox for a runner.

The event nearly never happened at all, there was a very strong wind on the day and Bannister decided he would rather save himself for another day but at 18:00 the wind dropped enough to get the race underway. The gun fired and they were off! The stadium announcer on that day was Norris McWhirter (Guinness book of records presenter) and the BBC commentary came from Harold Abrahams (1924 Olympic 100 metre champion).

Each time the men crossed the line the time was announced and could be heard by the men. The first lap was 58 seconds, on time. On the second lap they heard 1.58, again, good and on time. After the third lap the men heard the announcement of 3 minutes, 1 second and this wasn’t good enough. Bannister kicked and crossed the line at the point of exhaustion.

Chris Brasher setting the pace for Sir Roger Bannister

The final announcement was made… “As a result of Event Four, the one mile, the winner was R.G. Bannister of Exeter and Merton colleges, in a time which, subject to ratification, is a track record, an English native record, a United Kingdom record, a European record, in a time of three minutes...” The complete time was not heard because of the erupting crowd but Bannister had done it!

Away from the track Sir Roger Bannister spent most of his life as a Neurologist in Oxford, which struck a chord with me. It was a neurologist in Oxford that gave me the diagnosis of my condition and the coincidences don’t stop there. It is no secret that I have great difficulty in walking and that I’m grateful for this diagnosis and not anything else. Also, the love and appreciation I have for my family, I write about them in nearly every blog and how I wish to be the best role model I can be.  Imagine my surprise then when I heard a recent interview with Sir Roger…

“I’m having troubles with walking, so I do have difficulties. Ironically it’s a neurological disorder of Parkinson’s. I’m being well looked after and I don’t intend to let it interfere with my other activities. Life has its physical challenges, I’ve not been free of other illnesses but I take every day as it comes and the pleasure I receive, much of it is seeing what my grandchildren are achieving. I once said, as someone was commiserating with me about having this illness I said just consider the alternatives, which is the way I look at it.

There is a gentle irony about it but I’ve seen and looked after patients with so many neurological and other disorders that I’m not surprised that I’ve acquired an illness; it’s in the nature of things. I think it’s important to be a good father and grandfather and of course what we pass on, we pass the gifts of the children and grandchildren whom we have raised. The most important part of my life has been my family, I’m extremely grateful for my wife who has always supported me, putting that alongside my career these have gone hand in hand.

One of my pleasures in life has been walking, apart from of course, running and I founded a walking club in Oxford and we had our 100^th walk a little while ago but of course now the walks were always followed by lunch so now I’m a very happy member of the lunching group that hears about the walk and therefore vicariously enjoys the walk”

 

So it is with humour and a tongue firmly in my cheek that I say there is little difference between myself and Sir Roger Bannister except about 44 years and the fact my mile will take about 44 minutes.

I have been invited to the historic race track at Iffley Road, Oxford to stand on the shoulders of giants and walk one mile in my very own shoes. Three minutes and 59.4 seconds was the world record time and I actually feel lucky that my time will be a lot longer. This will give me the opportunity to appreciate not only where I’ll be, but also the family and friends that will enjoy this experience with me.

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