Unlike many, from an early age I was aware of what rheumatoid arthritis is. My auntie Maureen always struggled with everyday living and it was her daily battle with this incurable disease that inspired me to choose a career in medicine, specialising in rheumatology.
Having watched Maureen suffer as I was growing up, I felt compelled to try to help other people with this misunderstood disease and that is why I now find myself on the Welsh coast next to my kayak, a long way from home, for you see, I am kayaking around the UK mainland to raise awareness of rheumatoid arthritis and the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS), the only patient led charity which exclusively supports the 690,000 people living with this lifelong, crippling disease.
I left London on April 1st from the Ahoy Centre, when the country enjoyed that bright sunny and warm period we all miss so much, setting me off on my journey with calm waters and blue skies. Since then I have been battling the rain, winds and tides, but I'm getting on well and importantly I'm still enjoying spending 8 -10 hours a day paddling, having reached St. David's, Pembrokeshire in a little over 30 days. So far I've had some great help from friends and family as well as total strangers who have found out about my challenge. This means I have had to spend very few nights sleeping on beaches in my bivvy bag. I've seen some amazing sights out to sea; seals, puffins and some very competitive dolphins, but I've also had some scary encounters (the less said about tidal races the better). The challenge will take approximately 4 months and I expect to encounter even more difficulties than I have already. I hope the aches and pains I am encountering from this challenge are the closest I ever come to feeling the pain that those with rheumatoid arthritis endure on a daily basis throughout their lifetime.
I see the same struggle Auntie Maureen continues to go through in my patients every day. Some cannot turn their head due to a neck fusion, most people have to deal with extreme fatigue and, many struggle to do everyday tasks that others can easily take for granted such as turning on a tap, switching on an oven or brushing your teeth. There is hope for those who are diagnosed early and this is something I try to highlight through my day to day work and now through my challenge.
I also hope to make people understand that RA is not just a disease which affects the older generation as it can affect anybody at any age and is not down to wear and tear, it is an autoimmune, progressive disease. Maureen was in her twenties when RA took a hold of her life but some are even younger. I hope to raise the profile of NRAS and some much needed funds for them as they do a wonderful job of supporting people living with this disease.
So where to next? Well I'm heading up the Welsh coast at present and I am aiming to be at Bangor University by next week to meet some of their students who support NRAS. Then I will be travelling further north still where I will be meeting some of the NRAS Patient Groups that meet over the country. It's only a month in to my challenge but I have met so many supporters who are affected by this disease and I hope that by the time I reach London again in July, I will have gone some way in changing the public perception of rheumatoid arthritis. I'm not sure I'll ever want to kayak again though...
You can track my progress at my website here: www.martinkayaking.co.uk and please do go and donate towards my challenge and help NRAS support the estimated 30,000 people who will be diagnosed with RA this year: www.virginmoneygiving.com/martinkayaking. To find out more about rheumatoid arthritis you can visit the NRAS website at www.nras.org.uk or call 0845 458 3969.