Martin's page
Martin Ritchie is raising money for Friends of ANCHOR
Story
Who would have thought that 10 years ago the big baldy in one picture could have turned into the handsome devil you see in the other picture and then a Worlds Toughest Mudder qualifier :)
Just before my 25th birthday I was diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma, I had three tumours across the lymph nodes in my neck and one 10 x 9 cm tumour in the centre of my chest.
Thankfully, due to the care and help I received from the Anchor unit at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary I beat the cancer. Getting chemo probably wouldn't make my top 10 fun things to do but the Tough Mudder I completed at Drumlanrig Castle in Dumfries in July 2012 was only marginaly better.
Amazingly I finished in the top 5% of finishers and so was invited to compete at the "Worlds Toughest Mudder" in New Jersey, USA in November 2012. Along the way I managed to raise £2,144 for the "Friends of Anchor" charity in Aberdeen thanks to a lot of very generous donations.
As I said in my last fundraiser page, money raised for the Anchor Unit doesn't make chemo enjoyable but it can make the time there a bit more bearable. It can buy new seats for getting treatement, a new TV to watch whatever repeat of the antiques roadshow is on and it even bought fans to keep sweat hogs like me cool while in there in the summer months. The one good thing about chemo was that it upset my body's already disfunctional thermostat to the point that I now live in shorts and t-shirts, even during winter. This will hopefully set me up in good stead for The Worlds Toughest Mudder, as out of roughly 900 entrants last year, over 500 dropped out in the first lap due to hypothermia : )
One of the main differences in The Worlds Toughest Mudder to a regular Tough Mudder is that this time the event is held over 24hrs and it's the person who can complete the most amount of laps in that time. It's held over a 9 mile course interspersed with 40 obstacles designed to tire, test and shock (electrically) you, all in the name of fun.
Additionaly, money raised from the Tough Mudder events helps out the "Help for Heroes charity" in the UK and the "Wounded Warrior" charity in the United States. If ex-servicemen with prosthetic legs can manage a Tough Mudder then I will be completing The Worlds Toughest Mudder, I will not quit.
If you can find it in your heart to donate and help other formerly baldy cancer patients like me I'll send you the youtube link to my Worlds Toughest Mudder mudder punishement. Here's a link to my Tough Mudder punishement at Drumlanrig castle http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNx4JX5P938&feature=plcp and here's what I can expect come November, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzfRgz-q3KY
wish me luck :)
Thank you,
Martin
Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please dig deep and donate now.