Dave Cowell tells the story of his London to Paris cycle ride in his own words:
"In April of last year I had the devastating news that due to inflammation in my eyes my condition had worsened and my sight had rapidly deteriorated. This meant I could no longer continue in my job as a HGV driver. I have a wife and four children, the youngest being only two at the time, so you can imagine the effect this had on me and my family.
I had no idea what to do next so I contacted RNIB not really knowing what, if anything, you could do to help. The support, advice and information was invaluable and helped us enormously on our way through the early days.
Keen on cycling.
I have always been a keen cyclist and to show my appreciation to RNIB I decided to fundraise by doing the London to Paris cycle ride. When I told my friend Jeff, he was also keen to join me as my guide rider. We began training and although it was difficult I was determined to see it through. By this time we had already raised over £4,000 on my Just Giving page, including sponsorship from Icelolly and local business owners.
When my GP advised he couldn't declare me fit for insurance due to my visual impairment, we were gutted. We decided the only way to carry on was to go on a tandem even though we didn't have one! We then began a second wave of fundraising to enable us to buy a tandem, costing £1,800, so we could continue.
The ride
On 22 June, only two weeks after we got the tandem, we set off on our journey. I am glad to say we completed the ride although there was injury on the last day to Jeff, who is still in hospital after getting septic shock from an infection on a cut on his knee and nearly losing his life.
I can honestly say this was an unforgettable, life-changing experience in which we encountered more problems than anyone could have anticipated, but which will hopefully help RNIB to help someone else like me."
Fundraising
David and Jeff raised an impressive £5,075 for RNIB calling in the support of family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances and approaching local businesses for a contribution too.
Join Team RNIB
Every year around 600 people do a challenge event from RNIB. From running a local 5km race, to a marathon, skydive or climbing Kilimanjaro, there are so many ways to support RNIB by taking on an event.
For more information please visit our events and challenges page, call us on 0845 345 0054, Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, or email events@rnib.org.uk and we will help you find your challenge.