Pat’s NF Fundraiser Walk

Patrick, who lives in the Leamington area, was diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2) a long time ago. He’s used to facing barriers in life as his NF2 has caused a number of benign tumours to grow across his body, which has unfortunately led to his mobility slowly reducing.

Despite Patrick’s daily challenges, he decided that he wanted to help others that are affected by Neurofibromatosis. He decided to start his own fundraiser, with the challenge of walking 14 miles over 7 days, all whilst on crutches – a Herculean effort! In his words, he wanted to “Raise awareness of the challenges people with physical disabilities experience in day to day life and so I hope even just a few people recognise that people can be struggling with a lot more than what they show on the surface."

"I constantly heard people complaining about how they could no longer go out and see friends or go to the pub/clubs and so on. It made me realise that some people do not realise that those with physical difficulties experienced those exact feelings every day before the lockdowns and I hope to raise awareness of those challenges as well as raise some funds to help people growing up with the same condition I have had my entire life."

Tune in to see Pat’s story on BBC Midlands -

Pat walked in a different location in the Leamington area each day with friends and family from his support bubble.

Even though “It was quite difficult getting through some of the days.” Patrick managed to complete his fundraising challenge saying, “the messages and support I have received from so many people spurred me on to pick up my head and push through the challenge.”

Support Patrick and the 26,500 affected by NF in the UK.

Share Pat's BBC interview with your friends and family on social media by copying the following -

Support the 26,500 people affected by Neurofibromatosis, like Patrick. Pat shares his story with the @BBC, sharing his motivation for starting his fundraiser and why he wanted to help others affected by NF. Tune in here - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-55889321

“It’s mind-blowing to see so much money come in and so much support from people. It couldn’t have gone better, to be honest.”

Media in Support of Patrick's fundraiser and the Nerve Tumour Community in the UK