12-hour fitness challenge for DEBRA UK
Charlotte from SWC Fitness shares why they took on an epic 12-hour fitness challenge for DEBRA UK.
This year for our charity fundraising event, we chose to support DEBRA in support of one of our youngest gym members, Poppy.
Poppy is a 13-year-old, inspirational young lady. She comes to our gym, SWC Fitness in Stone, Staffordshire, with her parents, Kim and Paul. Poppy was born with dominant dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (DDEB). It impacts her everyday life; she often needs oral morphine, paracetamol, and ibuprofen just to function day-to-day. Her EB mostly affects her lower body, meaning walking and moving can be incredibly painful. Other problem areas include her joints, such as elbows, knees, and wrists.
Poppy is by no means defined by her EB. She very much has a ‘can do’ stubborn attitude and will not give up unless she physically can’t do it which is why we often see her in the gym doing what everyone else does.
Poppy epitomises everything our gym stands for: a can-do attitude, mental and physical resilience, bravery, and is an inspirational young lady.
Why a 12-hour circuit challenge
DEBRA is an incredible charity, and we wanted to do our bit to try and raise awareness, money, and support for those with EB.
We chose to do a 12-hour non-stop fitness circuit, as although this challenge was mentally and physically tough, it’s nothing compared to what those with EB must go through.
A small team of us completed all 12 hours, coached by the gym owner, Sean. Each hour we invited people to join us to keep spirits high and momentum going. Alongside this, we had a coffee and cake sale, as well as a raffle.
SWC’s impact
This is our third year completing an event like this and this year was by far the best. The support we received from both our gym community and DEBRA was incredible.
It’s great to be able to do something for such a fantastic charity, and to give back to the EB community. The support, guidance and care we received was phenomenal. All events, big or small, take DEBRA another step closer to helping stop the pain of EB.
We hope our fundraising event will raise much-needed awareness about the condition. The more awareness generated, the better care and support DEBRA can provide for those with EB. We hope by doing our bit we can inspire others to do the same.