Being the growing company that we are, ICAAL recognise and appreciate perseverance, resilience and overcoming adversity. These values meant that when Martin Boatright asked us to sponsor his participation in Jeff Stelling’s March For Men, we were more than happy to help!
Last year, Martin Boatright and Paul Ridgard, co-founders and directors of Ultra Trade Frames, were diagnosed with, what Martin describes as, “the dreaded C word”. Neither of them had experienced the usual symptoms of prostate cancer and generally felt fit and well. This meant that when Martin was told he had prostate cancer, and specifically an aggressive, established form, it was certainly not what he expected. Despite this news, Martin continued to persevere, playing football and even building a new house!
Now, after a year and some intensive treatment, Martin and Paul are both on the road to recovery, getting stronger and more positive. Determined to stop what has happened to him happen to others, Martin is taking part in the London March For Men on the 8th September 2019. Lasting for over 8 hours and covering 26 miles, this feat of endurance is, as Martin describes it, “all about awareness”. He wants to encourage men to overcome their reluctance to visit the doctors and get checked. Awareness is especially key because, as Martin explains, prostate cancer itself isn’t what kills one man every 45 minutes in the UK. The disease causes this shocking statistic when it spreads to other areas of the body. Catching the disease early before it spreads is absolutely crucial!
With such an inspiring story and a positive message, ICAAL are delighted to support Martin and help him achieve his target. Martin has said he “really appreciate[s] ICAAL’s support” and he would definitely welcome your help too! If you would like to donate to his campaign, please visit his JustGiving page: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/martin-boatright. For any further information about the symptoms of prostate cancer, please visit: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/prostate-cancer/.
Update 17/09/2019:
Martin completed the London leg of Jeff Stelling’s March For Men on Sunday 8th September. So far, he has raised a whopping £2,145.00, which is 715% of his original target! On top of this, Martin’s wife Laura also participated in the walk and raised a further £780! It’s a fantastic achievement that we at ICAAL are so proud to have supported.
We spoke to Martin about his experience and here’s what he had to say:
“It was a long but enjoyable day, starting […] at the London Stadium at 07.00am (!) and finishing at Tottenham Hotspur’s ground at 07.30 in the evening.
I began the walk quite chirpy; we had been told that it wasn’t a race, but there was a real buzz at the start line and everyone was raring to go. […] As we were walking, we could hear snippets of conversations, people telling stories of why they were walking; their diagnosis, treatment, and how their families and friends had supported them. Some walkers had the names and photos of the people they were walking for or in memory of; it was hard not to feel emotional about that, really brings it home.
I hit the wall about 22 miles in and it hurt! My feet were burning and my body was aching. I just didn’t know what to do with myself; I didn’t know if I was hungry, thirsty, tired or everything. That last four miles were really, really demanding. When the Spurs ground came into sight, I thought “yes”, which is extra hard for me being a Chelsea fan(!), but it seemed to take forever to actually get there. When we all finally hobbled over the line it was such a relief – everyone was tired and sore but what an achievement!
Trevor Brooking, Kris Kamara, Paul Parker, Mark Bright and Alistair Campbell all showed their support for Jeff and the rest of us at different stages along the way. There were 220 of us participating! It was mainly men who have, or are recovering from, Prostate Cancer. Some were walking in support of a loved one who had been diagnosed with this horrible disease.
This was the final marathon of four that Jeff had completed in four days. Through the legs in Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England he raised an incredible £1,000,000! I would like to sincerely thank you again for your generous donation, it will go a long way to raising awareness and saving men’s lives and it is greatly appreciated.”