Dan - day 12

Day 12.

A very uneventful day today, so I thought id say a few words about John.

Today will see us reach Bristol, easily over half way and only 4 days left.

Cycling from John o groats to lands end is a well trodden path nowadays hundreds achieve it every year, wether it be for personal satisfaction or a charity. It would be easy to think for some that it's no biggie anymore. I would disagree this is still a huge undertaking for anybody, lots of organising beforehand is required and there is the unpredictable British weather. I know I've only driven the roads and I can say that is deffo my preferred way to travel the distance. Lol.

john, here is a person with a condition termed HEART FAILURE, he has an inefficient Heart, his heart does not pump the required amount of oxygenated blood around his body, feeding all the muscles giving energy in order walk, run, move, lift, cycle.

Take a minuite to consider this. Think of a simple task you take for granted, a brisk walk to the shop to buy newspaper or walking the dog around the park, hoovering the living room, joining in with your kids playing sport. All simple things you can easily do. Now imagine tomorrow waking up and and trying one off those activities, but within 3 of your normal steps outside the front door your heart starts racing like you were running fast and you start breathing heavy and become very breathless and you feel all the energy drain from your body. You continue on your way to the shop heart StIll racing and breathing heavy.....you need a little sit down on the way, so you lean against a wall, sweating, heart banging away, you try to catch your breath. Onward to the shop. You struggle to be polite the shop keeper because your struggling to breath and talk at the same time. Newspaper purchased you have a sit down on the bench outside the shop and catch your breath and then make your way home. a five minute walk just took you 25-30 minutes 

A scary scenario if you weren't expecting it....now imagine you were expecting it, and every day whatever you do this is how it is. And that is possibly a good day.

Imagine the desire to just stop, give up and sit down, stay in bed and avoid physical activity completely, because you feel fine sat down...you feel normal. You just have to try to block out the fact that as a HEART FAILURE patient you live with a higher risk of sudden death syndrome.

Back to John....John sufferes all those symptoms to some degree we are all different in the intensity of the effects of the illness, but they are the effects. and the constant mental struggle to just stop, he has a metal device inserted in his chest to make his heart beat in the correct rhythm. So Let's again consider the mammoth effort this journey is for him. 

You have got to admire his mental strength to keep going and the sheer determination not to be Beaten my this illness he is raising money for a brave little boy who was born with this condition, but he is also spreading hope to us all, not just Hf patients but to anyone who has something to fight and overcome. It doesn't matter what your Everest is you can reach the top.