Why do I want to row an ocean? I don't really know. It has just sort of happened. I remember riding past some farm buildings, near where I live, and seeing these strange looking rowboats. I wandered what they were all about and I wanted to find out more. A quick internet search revealed that they were ocean rowboats. The seed was sown.

I started to put some wheels in motion and plan an ocean row.

A few years prior, I remember seeing a programme on the TV about a girl who had a really bad skin problem. Her skin just seem to come off at the slightest touch. I remember seeing her mum taking off the girls bandages and the skin coming away with the bandage. As you can imagine the girl was in agony. I reckon she was only 7 or 8 years old. She was crying out in pain. Her mum applied various creams and redressed the girl in clean bandages. The girl was like any other child of that age. She wanted to play with her mates and do all the things that girls, of this age, do. I have 2 girls so I know what It is all about. This poor girl would have to go through this process several times a day for the rest of her life and yet she seemed so positive and full of life that it was amazing. It really struck a chord with me. I could not imagine how I would be if one of my girls became very ill and how I would cope.

When I thought about a charity to support, I remembered this programme I had seen years before. It may have been coincidence or fate perhaps, but on TV, at the time of planning this row, there was a series of small programmes about people living with disabilities. One of the programmes showed a girl with this terrible skin condition. She was in her 20s. She was so positive. She knew that her life would be full of hurdles and extreme pain and yet she was more upbeat than most people I know. The condition she had was EB. Epidermolysis Bullosa. The kids affected by this disease are sometimes referred to as Butterfly Children because their skin is as delicate as the wing of a butterfly. It broke my heart to watch and I knew that this was the charity I wanted to support.

I went onto the internet and found DEBRA. I went onto the site and read about what they did and about the disease. It was an open and shut case. There is a video of a girl named Alisa on the DEBRA website. Take a look. The charity was sorted.

When I first looked at rowing an ocean, I did not have any idea what it was all about and how it would affect me and my family and the people around me. As I looked further into the prospect and started the planning, I realised that there were several goals that I wanted to achieve and several messages that I wanted to get across.

When I was younger, I did not spend a great deal of time reflecting on things as much as I do now. Having kids certainly focuses the mind.

I try to help people when I can. Sometimes just a simple word of encouragement is all it takes. And it always feels good once you have done a good deed.

I am just a normal dad. I am like every other dad in the world. I try to do my best for my family. Sometimes it works out ok and sometimes it can go a bit pear shaped. Ultimately it is about doing what you feel is right. Fuel this with a passion and you cannot go far wrong.

I really want to thank Jayme Linker for volunteering to do this row with me, she is obviously completely bonkers! She is full of passion and enthusiasm for the trip and clearly she has no idea of how far it is across the Atlantic! We are well on our way and no turning back.

I have some dreams.

One dream is that, one day, they discover a cure for EB.

The other dream is that Alisa, will, one day, Row an Ocean.

Written by Dave Dunk