Channel challenge for brave Sam
15.09.10
BRAVE Sam Vincent is facing the daunting prospect of swimming the channel in memory of his brother.
The 29-year-old is about to embark on the 22 mile challenge, with the goal of raising £4,000 for a cause close to his heart.
His younger brother Ben died from meningitis in 2003, aged just 20 and in the prime of his life having just started a history degree at Cambridge University.
Sam, who lives in Finsbury Park, London, hopes his efforts will help charity Meningitis UK find a vaccine for the deadly disease while also raising awareness.
He's been training for the tough conditions for the past year and predicts it will take at least 14 hours to cross from Dover to Cap Gris-Nez, near Calais.
Sam said: "I used to swim a lot with Ben and we shared a love of the sea, so swimming the channel seemed a fitting challenge.
"It would have been his 28th birthday on September 18 and I often wonder what he would have done with the life that was taken away from him.
"I've been getting up at 5.30am some mornings to train at the Serpentine Lake in Hyde Park, and there's a group of aspiring channel swimmers who meet in Dover every weekend to train together.
"I'm apprehensive about the swim but looking forward to it. It's such a long way so the challenge is to beat exhaustion, stay on course, not get too cold - and hopefully avoid jellyfish!"
Sam, who was also studying at Cambridge, remembers the "horrendous" events of January 2003 when he was urgently called to Ben's halls of residence one morning.
He discovered that his brother was desperately ill and called an ambulance straightaway because he suspected it could be meningitis.
Sam explained: "The previous day, Ben had been playing hockey and everything was fine but overnight he became unwell.
"He had become sick during the night and was in a bad way when I arrived. Once meningitis gets into you, it causes damage so quickly. It's lethal.
"He arrested several times in the emergency room and they put him on life support. Our mum and dad got to the hospital within hours and we spent the following days waiting together in intensive care.
"After a week, they discovered he was brain dead and switched his life support machine off.
"It was the worst week of my life. It was such an enormous waste. So many people miss him."
Ben died from meningococcal meningitis, which is most common in children under the age of five and young adults aged 14 to 24.
All money raised by Sam's swim will go towards Meningitis UK's Search 4 a Vaccine Campaign, which aims to raise £7million to fund vital research into developing a vaccine against Meningitis B - the most common form of meningitis in the UK, which can kill in under four hours.
Sam added: "Meningitis UK is doing great work. With enough support I think they will find a way to eradicate Meningitis.
"It's within reach and I'm hopeful that one day precious lives like Ben's will be protected."
Steve Dayman, who founded Meningitis UK after his son Spencer died from the disease, said: "This is the first time a supporter of ours has swum the channel so we're hugely appreciative of Sam's efforts.
"It's quite a feat and I can't begin to imagine how tough the challenge will be. We wish Sam the best of luck.
"What happened to Ben sadly illustrates the speed at which meningitis can strike, with very few symptoms to distinguish the disease from more common illnesses.
"Every penny raised will go towards our single focus - to find a vaccine to eradicate meningitis and save thousands of lives in the future."
There's still time to sponsor Sam by visiting his Just Giving page - www.justgiving.com/Samtvincent
MeningitisUK · Registered Charity No.1076774
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Reply #1 on : Thu September 16, 2010, 11:21:53
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