Over the last five years, you have encouraged me to keep fighting to prevent my brain tumour from returning as predicted, and to keep trying to improve my cognitive and neurological function that was so damaged by the tumour, the treatment, and each and every one of the more severe epileptic seizures.
You have done this by challenging me, through your sponsorship, to keep eating, exercising and taking on activities designed to help me beat my beast of a brain tumour and its neurological and cognitive after effects through your sponsorship. Your sponsorship kept me going by fuelling my desire to save lives through the Disasters Emergency Committee.
As a result I have seen a significant improvement in my cognitive and neurological function with becoming neurologically strong enough to get back into some form of paid employment being my main aim. But most importantly you have also helped me to raise well over £10,000 to help save lives through the Disasters Emergency Committee, while helping me to assist the DEC to rebuild the lives of the survivors that were so shattered by disaster.
Over these last five years of my battle there has also been: a devastating Earthquake in Nepal, the Yemen crises, the East Africa Crises, the Myanmar Crises, the Indonesian Tsunami, Cyclone Idai and the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic leaving 26, 954,300 people without food, shelter or clean water.
Helped by the £10,000 you provided through your sponsorship, the DEC has raised an incredible £311,000,000 ensuring that, through the 14 leading UK aid charities that the DEC funds to deliver the specific requirements tailored to the unique needs of each disaster:
- 2,376,101 people were given access to safe drinking water.
- 1,665,612 people received medical care for the acute conditions inherent during and immediately after a disaster.
- 1,061,900 families received life saving food parcels
- 494,000 agricultural families received seeds and tools to restore their livelihoods.
- 367,577 families received hygiene kits.
- 317,400 families received cash grants to help them meet immediate needs.
- 248,170 women and their children were assisted to safe spaces.
- 221,100 families received essential household items.
- 157,900 families received emergency shelter materials.
- 94,880 people have been retrained for sustainable employment futures.
- 38,100 Toilets have been built or repaired.
- 13,900 trees have been planted as part of reforestation initiatives.
- 9000 permanent earthquake resilient houses have been built.
- 75 health facilities have been renovated.
- 70 temporary learning centres have been set up for children to continue their education.
- 40 schools have been rebuilt, repaired or made more resilient.
That means that over the last 5 years, the DEC has set the conditions that saved more than 7,065,825 people while giving them dignity, and the tools, knowledge and resources needed for a future, and hope for a future that is sustainable in the face of further disasters.
While I can walk and talk, I still have a long way to go before I will ever be neurologically and cognitively strong enough to be able to sustain myself in employment. In the face of the increasing threat of disaster driven by climate change the DEC will have an ever-increasing requirement to save and rebuild lives. Please challenge me, with your sponsorship, to take on activities each and every day designed to help me to beat my beast, and save and rebuild lives, through the DEC, with your sponsorship. I guarantee that each and every penny raised goes to save and rebuild lives through the Disasters Emergency Committee.
I have so far walked, run, cycled and swum 10,786 miles taking in over 61 hills and mountains, playing 2377 holes of golf while writing 387 posts, which my poor wife, Allie, has to spend so much time editing, to make them understandable for my website, while raising £11,421 and 16 pennies for the DEC so far.
Please keep me fighting and saving lives through the DEC by sponsoring me to beat my beast. All details on how to sponsor me and on my battle with the tumour and cognitive and neurological issues can be found from the menu above.
Thank you.
Keep safe.
Keep smiling