Several devastating losses have prompted a BTP officer to take on a series of fundraising challenges so others can get support in similar circumstances.
John Paul O’Kane is a Response Team Sergeant based in Glasgow. He is also a Federation rep and Secretary of the D-Division committee. Over four weekends in April and May, he will take on four challenges in Scotland, England, and Wales to raise money for Brain Tumour Research and Kilbryde Hospice.
These two charities mean a lot to John Paul. Over the past fifteen years he has lost his mum, sister, nephew, and cousin to glioblastoma brain tumours. These fast-growing tumours are the most common type of cancerous brain growths in adults.
John Paul said: “The odds of this happening several times to one family are in the billions to one. There is no genetic link, it is not hereditary. As one doctor summed it up, it’s just really bad luck.”
The challenges
John Paul is walking, hiking and swimming his way to his fundraising goal, currently set at £2000:
Sunday 28 April - is the Glasgow Kiltwalk. John Paul will complete the 14.2 mile ‘Big Stroll’ which will take him from Clydebank to beautiful Balloch in Loch Lomond.
Saturday 4 May - he will take on Ben Nevis, climbing some 4413 feet.
Saturday 11 May - a week after tackling Ben Nevis, John Paul will turn his attention to Snowdon/Yr Wyddfa. That’s 3560 feet of climbing.
Saturday 18 May – for the final challenge, John Paul’s hoping to make a splash in Derwent Water as he swims 4600 metres.
The charities
Donations to Kilbryde Hospice will allow them to continue the excellent in-patient palliative care that they provided to John Paul’s nephew, Max in his final months. He passed away last summer at just 19 years old.
Donations to Brain Tumour Research will allow them to continue much-needed research into this condition which kills more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer. Despite this, just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease.
Your support
Your donation (and words of support) will make all the difference. If you’re able to give you can do that here: https://www.justgiving.com/team/Team-JP but sharing the fundraising page will also help John Paul reach more people.