A BRAVE Redditch man is looking at life from a new angle and embarking on a ‘perpendicular challenge’ to raise money for the charity which helped him throughout blood cancer treatment.
Robin Taylor was diagnosed with Burkitts Lymphoma in December 2014 and, now in recovery, has devised the Perpendicular Speed Challenge to raise money for Shine Cancer Support who provide advice and support for people in their 20s, 30s and 40s dealing with cancer.
The 34-year-old, who had a type of fast growing leukaemia, said: “During my treatment I realised many patients suffering from cancer are over 60 and I was by far the youngest person on the ward.
“For obvious reasons, children have a wide range of support networks but it seemed people of a similar age to me were getting lost in the cracks.
“My mission now is to help support people in a similar position to me so that perhaps some of my experiences can help others to get through what can be an emotional rollercoaster.”
This Thursday(September 8) Robin will perform the ‘vertical’ part of his challenge with a sky dive, falling at a speed of around 124 miles per hour and in October he will take part in the 13 mile Birmingham Great Run.
“Although it’s unlikely I’ll be beating any land or air speed records, for someone who is just returning to full health from a pretty toxic chemo regime, this is the first major test of my ‘back to health” fitness campaign.
“While I’d love to beat my previous personal best, I just want to prove I can do it and that I’m getting back to normal,” he said.
Robin’s mum, Mary Taylor, said: “My heart is in my mouth just thinking about the sky dive – it’s cats, not Robins, that are supposed to have nine lives.”
Anyone looking to support Robin can visit http://www.charitychoice.co.uk/fundraiser/robinbtaylor
Read his blog here About Me
Or go to http://www.shinecancersupport.org/ to find out more about the charity.
