Friends from Kneesall and York to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for Muscular Dystrophy UK
Two friends are set to take on one of the world’s toughest challenges to raise money to help those with a devastating disease.
Daniel Cooper, from Kneesall, and his friend of 30 years Paul McGann, are heading up the highest mountain in Africa to climb Mount Kilimanjaro to raise money for Muscular Dystrophy UK.
The duo are taking on this gruelling challenge in support of Paul's son Frankie, 15, who was diagnosed with Myotonic Dystrophy, a genetic condition that causes progressive muscle weakness and wasting, when he was just seven months old.
The pair have previously taken on Pedal Paddle Peak in the Lake District to raise money for Muscular Dystrophy UK, and have already climbed Mt Snowdon last month as part of their training, and Dan has also completed two half marathons.
The pair set off on their challenge on Saturday, flying to Tanzania ready to start their trek from the entrance to Kilimanjaro National Park on Monday — which happens to be Dan’s 53rd birthday — with a group of 15 other challengers.
From there, it will be a four-day trek up the immense mountain, with the group getting up at midnight tomorrow (Friday) in -20°c temperatures in order to reach the summit of Kilimanjaro in time to watch the sunrise, and then they will begin their descent over the next few days.
Speaking to the Advertiser before they set off, Dan said: “I’m the fittest I’ve been in about 20 years training for this, I’ve followed some great advice from an oestopath been working with a trainer, and I’ve lost 7kg in 18 months. I can’t begin to explain how excited I am.”
The challenge is for a cause close to the mens’ hearts as not only does Frankie live with the condition, but Paul’s wife, her sister, and her father were also diagnosed as having a variant of myotonic dystrophy.
Paul said that Frankie leads a full and happy life, and never wants to be treated any differently to his younger brother.
“Frankie is an inspiration to all who know him,” said Paul. “He’s never daunted by a big physical challenge and continues to defy expectations of what is possible.
“One of my proudest moments was supporting Frankie last year to climb the Old Man of Coniston in the Lake District as part of my training. At 803m high, it’s a significant peak and getting up involved a lot of effort but was a huge achievement for him.
“Regular physiotherapy and splints help to keep Frankie mobile, but he has very weak muscles that even make smiling almost impossible. As he gets older, we know that his muscle weakness will have an even greater impact on daily life, from mobility to eating, but he remains determined to be involved in whatever capacity he can.
“Dan and I are doing this trek for him.”
Dan and Paul are aiming to raise £12,000 for Muscular Dystrophy UK to help fund research and support people living with muscle wasting conditions, and are only a few pounds off reaching their target.
Dan has extended his thanks to the villagers in Kneesall who have been so supportive of his challenge, in particular hosting a pizza night to raise money for their challenge.
Friends made the pizzas in their oven and local children delivering the pizzas around the village, with Ollerton Tesco giving ingredients and a £100 donation, while Ollerton Asda and Newark Morrisons also lent their support by donating ingredients, with all proceeds going to MDUK.
You can make a donation at https://www.justgiving.com/team/kilicrazycats
Susanne Driffield, Regional Development Manager at Muscular Dystrophy UK said: “We’re so grateful to Paul and Dan for taking on this challenge and it’s incredible that they have raised almost £12,000.
“Thanks to fundraising like this, we can continue to provide advice and support to those living with muscle wasting and weakening conditions, and fund ground-breaking research to improve understanding and accelerate new treatments.
“We wish them, and the other 13 trekkers climbing Mount Kilimanjaro this week, the best of luck and thank you for supporting Muscular Dystrophy UK.”
The challengers are scheduled to land back in the UK on Saturday October 26.