FIRST DISABLED PERSON TO CONQUER BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH POLES
History will be re-written when British businessman and Muscular Dystrophy sufferer Michael McGrath [1] becomes the first disabled person in the world to reach both North and South Poles. McGrath contracted Muscular Dystrophy [2] when he was 18 and now, twenty years on, has severe walking difficulties and, due to loss of muscle bulk, very little physical strength. Remaining upright and retaining balance are his biggest daily physical challenges. Ironically, McGrath feels the cold much more than able-bodied people as a result of a less efficient circulatory system
(PRWEB) April 24, 2003
Inspired by the memorial inscription on Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s tombstone “to strive, to seek, to find, not to yield”, McGrath will travel with his expedition team to the Geographic South Pole [3], the Earth's southernmost point, situated at latitude 90°S where all lines of longitude meet, in Jan 2004. If successful, this will be the completion of the 2nd phase of a two-year project called ‘pole2pole’ [4] which seeks to raise £1m for research into and relief from global muscle disorders including Muscular Dystrophy. McGrath successfully reached the North Pole in April 2002
Expedition Patron, Robert Swan OBE comments: “In 1989, I became the first physically able person to walk unaided to both North and South Poles. With the support of his team, Michael aims to become the first disabled person in the world to have reached both poles. The powerful contrast between being physically challenged and able-bodied is striking”. 2003 is the European Year of Disabled People. The project highlights ability, not disability
Pole2pole is the inaugural event of The Muscle Help Foundation [5]. The foundation has 3 primary objectives: to raise global awareness of muscle disorders including the devastating condition of Muscular Dystrophy, to raise funds for neuromuscular research and to develop an inclusive global community by creating a web-based information portal to support some 250 million people worldwide effected by muscle disorders
McGrath said: “This is an opportunity to generate massive awareness and funds whilst doing something productive. Although my condition has radically changed the way I live my life, I decided early on that I would do everything I could to have a positive impact on others. It’s about exploring what people can do as opposed to what they can’t do. It is the journey towards achieving the goal that is more important than the final destination”
At such an uncertain time in our world today, the project mantra reflects a positive message with an important global call-to-action - ‘use a muscle to save a muscle’
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
The Muscle Help Foundation [Campaign Headquarters]
P. O. Box 155
Buntingford
SG9 9XN
UNITED KINGDOM
Pole2pole - Registered Charity No. 1096716
Press Contacts: Sue McGrath / Alison Starbuck
E-mail: sue@pole2pole. co. uk
E-mail: alison@pole2pole. co. uk
Official Website: www. pole2pole. co. uk
UK Press Office: +44 (0) 1763 274664
EDITORS NOTES
[1] MICHAEL McGRATH
Michael McGrath has already achieved what to most people would seem impossible by fully embracing life and relishing all opportunities to make a difference. Born in 1965 in the UK, Michael was educated by the Jesuits at St JohnÂ’s Beaumont near Windsor and then at Stonyhurst College in Lancashire. In 1984, McGrath turned down one of only 10 UK places offered for the esteemed five year Savoy Trainee Management Programme in London
In 1986, McGrath was diagnosed with what was at that time, one of the most rare forms of Muscular Dystrophy known as Emery Dreifuss Syndrome, a progressive muscle wasting disease. In 1988, Michael achieved a BSc (Hons) degree in Hotel Management from Oxford Brookes University. In October 2000, whilst mentally preparing himself to have a pacemaker fitted, his diagnosis was changed to Limb Girdle Muscular Dystrophy as a direct result of the advances made in the field of neuro-muscular research. As a result, he was told that his heart was unaffected and that a pacemaker would no longer be required
Despite a more sedentary life-style, McGrath continues to pushback and confront head-on the challenges that life presents. Notwithstanding the physical difficulties, he remains utterly focused on maintaining his current level of mobility through regular exercise, sheer determination and enormous strength of mind. The powerful contrast between being physically challenged and able-bodied is striking
Today, Michael is an independent Business Adviser specialising in the area of people development, performance improvement and employee motivation. He has worked with a number of leading UK agencies. In addition, he has established himself as an inspirational presenter on the international speaker circuit sharing his ‘call-to-action’ message ironically entitled ‘Ice, Slice and Adrenalin’
McGrath’s future priority is to drive The Muscle Help Foundation forwards. Despite his physical limitations, he continues to pushback and confronts head-on the challenges that life presents. In the words of T. S. Elliott “Only he who is willing to risk going too far will discover how far it is possible to go”
[2] MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY
Muscular Dystrophy is a progressive muscle wasting disease, which affects people of any age. Sufferers, many of them children who stand little, if any, chance of surviving into there twenties, face a daily physical and emotional battle. There is currently no known treatment to delay or reverse the progression of the disease. Early diagnosis and professional care provide vital support, helping sufferers cope more effectively. The harsh reality is that medical research is their only hope.
[3] ANTARCTICA AND THE SOUTH POLE
Antarctica is the coldest, windiest and driest continent on our planet. The lowest temperature ever recorded anywhere on earth, -89.2° C (-128.6° F) was on July 21st 1983 at the Russian Vostok Station at the "pole of inaccessibility". A domestic deep freeze runs at about -20°C. The mean summer temperature on the great East Antarctica icecap is -30°C and mean winter temperature around -60°C. Antarctica is a hostile, raw, inhospitable environment. The South Pole challenge is a very different journey to Michael’s North Pole experience.
[4] pole2pole
Pole2pole is the inaugural launch event for The Muscle Help Foundation. The event commemorates the 100th anniversary of Captain Robert Falcon Scott’s ‘Discovery Expedition’ to Antarctica [1901-1904] and celebrates the enormous power of the human spirit. The pole2pole charity [Reg. No. 1096716] was granted registration in March 2003 by the UK Charity Commission and was founded by Michael McGrath and Miles Peckham
[5] THE MUSCLE HELP FOUNDATION SEEKS CORPORATE PARTNERS
It is estimated that over 250 million people worldwide are directly affected by muscle disorders. The current emphasis for The Muscle Help Foundation is to establish a dialogue with leading-edge global organisations in accelerating knowledge, understanding and investment in pioneering treatments and ultimately cures. The first part of this journey has been achieved with the launch of a modern dynamic charity that innovates and challenges.
The global vision is to provide a unique web-based portal for anyone who has a query on muscle disorders. The initial focus will be on practical encouragement on how to ‘use a muscle to save a muscle’ and will provide inclusive information for organisations such as healthcare professionals as well as the general public, including sufferers and their support network.
The Muscle Help Foundation has a strong team of commercially astute professionals. The objective is to implement winning strategies that offer multiple propositions for organisations seeking to connect their value systems, champion change, embrace an inclusive philosophy and make a real difference to stakeholder value.
NEWS ALERT - WEMBLEY STADIUM, LONDON
Top neuromuscular scientists in the United Kingdom say that with the current state of research, £15m and five years is what it will take to find a cure or viable treatment for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (the most severe form – it is fatal). If Wembley stadium in London is costing £700m, what pole2pole is asking for is a 1/15 of the hot dog concession! Our Foundation needs your support today
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