“In a moment, in a heartbeat, your life can change. And yet, you find when it changes that there are reserves of strength, reserves of resourcefulness, reserves of energy that you can call on to go forward… Nobody exemplifies that better than Mike.”

— Christopher Reeve

 

For not a single sensible reason; with no well thought through plan, I am running a marathon. On April 3rd, with two friends, I will be in Paris coughing up a lung wondering where it all went wrong. To make it worthwhile, I have decided to raise money for a close friend and his truly astonishing charity.

 

Founded by Mike Nemesvary, The Back Up Trust helps people affected with spinal cord injury get the most out of their lives.

 

A quite remarkable man, Mike won his first freestyle ski title at the age of 15 in 1976 and by the early 80s, he held more than 40 titles including winning the World Cup aerials event for team GB. As if he wasn’t achieving enough, he became a highly sought after stunt-skier in TV and Film.  Recognise this famous scene from 'James Bond: A View to Kill'?. Watch it here .

 

However, in 1985, all of this came to a crashing halt when a routine trampolining exercise went wrong, leaving Mike a quadriplegic at the age of 24.

 

But Mike didn’t let this dictate his life nor diminish his ambition. Since his accident nearly 40 years ago, Mike and The Back Up Trust have provided life changing support and resources to hundreds of people facing similar challenges to him as well as tirelessly raising awareness of those living with spinal cord injuries. His wealth of achievements both before and after the accident are hard-to-believe and his outlook on life, something to live by.

 

More important than ever are the funds we hope to raise by running this marathon and every pound you donate will make an impact for those with spinal injuries, particularly considering the added difficulties the COVID pandemic has placed on their lives.

 

Please donate, please wish us luck and please read more about Mike and his Charity – he really is an amazing man.

 

The Back Up Trust’s website: https://www.backuptrust.org.uk/

You can also see a first-hand account of Mike and his story in the BBC Documentary: Same Game, Different Rules. Link here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLrmFT81gK0&ab_channel=MikeNemesvary