'Why?' you might ask. 'Because I can' I'll say.
How lucky am I to be spending the weekend doing the thing I love the most, running in the beautiful English countryside and after chatting with my friend Fran about Henry and visiting Henry in Stoke Mandeville Hospital I've decided to raise some money as well.
Henry is a very talented, handsome 17 year old who had an accident this summer whilst on holiday with his friends, he dived into the surf and damaged his spinal cord leaving him unable to move his arms and legs.
Henry was a pupil at my son's old school, Berkhamsted Collegiate, but has since won a sports scholarship to Dulwich College to follow in the footsteps of his 20 year old brother Will, who is now a professional rugby player with The Saracens.
Henry is still training and still has lots of goals to achieve. Just different to the ones he had before.
Henry's Trust 2009
Henry needs a new bike. Not just any bike but an FES bike.
A functional electrical stimulation bike uses electrical currents to activate nerves which in turn make the arms and legs work the bike. Not the other way round.
Henry's legs will pedal the bike not the bike moving Henry's legs. If we raise enough money he can get an attachment that will work his arms too. So he can show of his bulging biceps!
This is not a short term training plan. Henry will need to train on this bike for the rest of his life.
Chances are over the years he will have cycled the Tour de France many times.
This isn't an easy ride and it will take all his athletic determination and dedication to keep up this training.
Below are some quotes from long term users of these bikes they will give you a quick understanding of what training on this bike means.
I have used it 2-3 times a week to maintain muscle mass in the legs and butt and it reduces my leg spasms significantly. It also is a great cardio workout & i'm able to raise my heart-rate better than any other type of exercise. Maintaining leg muscles and flexibility are absolutely important for that day when a cure is developed and nothing can do it like a fes bike.
Just to see your legs moving again and knowing that they are actually doing the work is an amazing feeling. My wife and mom had tears in their eyes the first time they saw me on the bike.
This bike doesn't come cheap.
Need I say more.
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Lisa
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