I have an awfully long way to go to ever be able to show that I have beaten the brain tumour completely. I have been told by too many people that I meet that they knew of a friend or family member who had a brain tumour and despite many successes inevitably lost their battle with the beast. I am painfully aware that I may never beat the brain tumour but with Faith, Food and Physical Exercise, supported by Family and Friends and with a determined Focus to achieve something more in life to the benefit of others I am going to do all that I can to beat this beast of a brain tumour permanently, knock any hint of Alzheimer’s and Dementia into the park and to achieve a neurological function strong enough for some form of employment.
I started this challenge to beat the beast because I wanted to reassure the children while breathing hope, inspiration and encouragement in to their lives while also ensuring that my final days were not for nothing but instead spent trying to save the lives and improve the life chances of as many people as I could for as long as I could by asking everybody that I met to challenge me to beat my beast of a brain tumour through their sponsorship for the Disasters Emergency Committee.
There are One Billion and five hundred Million people whose very lives are at risk from Climate change related natural disaster.
There are 65 Million active current accounts here in the UK. If I can convince just 1% of those account holders to sponsor me for just £1 per month, then I can raise £650,000 a month for the Disasters Emergency Committee for as long as ever I can.
Please challenge me to beat my beast of neurological dysfunction and to prevent my brain tumour from ever coming back and if it does to beat it back again, with just £1 per month for the Disasters Emergency Committee. All the details on how to sponsor me can be found here on the website at https://www.beatthebeastchallenge.co.uk/index.php/sponsor-archie To beat the beasts I am daily ensuring that I conduct the following:
1. Follow my balanced daily lifestyle religiously to try to ensure that my brain tumour never returns.
2. I am trying to write and publish a book about my life including my childhood with the significant obstacles I had to overcome in growing up and the few early brushes with death, my military career and the many wonderful things that happened during it, and the fight with the beast in order to try and build a far greater level of endurance working on a computer before flaking out. My hope is that the book would not only help me to get stronger but that it could also provide hope, inspiration and encouragement to others to keep up the fight with whatever beast that they might be up against. A belief in themselves that the fight is worth fighting and not only that, winnable. If the book was successful of course it might provide an income, as well as perhaps attracting many more sponsors to help save many more lives, while improving life chances, and providing hope, inspiration and encouragement to others.
3. I am learning to play golf in order to bring some discipline back into my ill-disciplined mind while clawing back some of my cognitive/motor function coordination. Just one hour of concentration on the short course and driving range sees my mind wander off in so many different directions. I am too easily distracted. Just two hours trying so very hard to concentrate on getting the best out of every single shot that I play, even with breaks, completely exhausts me, wipes me out for pretty much the rest of the day. My hope is that with time and effort, I will strengthen my ability to concentrate and that I will strengthen my ability to sustain my cognitive ability over the period of a working day, week, month and year. If I can, from a standing and cognitively challenged start, reach a level of competition that will capture the imagination of the golfing community and perhaps the attention of the media, then I can perhaps attract many more sponsors to help save many more lives while improving life chances and providing hope, inspiration and encouragement to others.
4. I am learning to play the pipe organ in order to bring some discipline back into my ill-disciplined mind while clawing back some more of my cognitive/motor function coordination. Exactly like golf, just one hour of concentration on the organ sees my mind wander off in so many different directions. I am too easily distracted. Not only that, my mind tires quickly and I have found the keyboard at home to have been the trigger for many a small neurological seizure brought on by tiredness caused by a short period of intense cognitive effort. I am really struggling to learn either the organ or the keyboard but my hope is that I might one day be able to perform on the keyboard while singing a song that sells as a single track. Through hard work I hope one day to be able at least carry a tune, and then perhaps I can attract many more sponsors to help save many more lives while improving life chances and providing hope, inspiration and encouragement to others.
5. I am learning to act as a way of conditioning the brain to being able to function within a fast moving, unfamiliar environment, surrounded by lots of people, while managing the multifaceted demands on the brain required through interaction. In other words, to train the brain to be able to function within a demanding work environment. Even conversation with strangers is extremely draining. I have to get stronger in order to get better and to become useful. If, by some miracle, I actually prove to have an aptitude for acting and manage to secure a role in a popular drama or film, then perhaps I can attract many more sponsors to help save many more lives while improving life chances and providing hope, inspiration and encouragement to others.
6. I am continuing to frequently navigate my way around hills and the countryside as a way to try to train the cognitive and spatial awareness function of the brain, through navigation, while trying to strengthen the neurological function and endurance of the brain, by requiring it to function for a long day of strenuous activity.
So please stick with me, challenge me through you sponsorship for the Disasters Emergency Committee, and follow my progress on the website. It is bound to be an interesting, challenging and exciting journey and I would love for you to be on it with me and to be a part of the team that helps to make something quite extraordinary happen.
How much money can I raise for the DEC? So how many lives could you help me save and rebuild through the DEC at times of disaster?
Can I actually get a part in a film?
Will I ever actually learn to play Golf to any level?
Will I ever be able to learn to play a piece of music on the piano and sing along well enough to it?
Will I ever actually manage to write a book? And if I do can I get it published? And how many copies can I sell?
How many hills and mountains will I climb and how many miles will I cover under my own steam on the way?
Can I actually learn to juggle?
How many people’s lives could I save and how many peoples life chances can I improve through the take up of my balanced daily lifestyle?
How long can I go on for?
If you would like to send me a message of support please do so at archie@beatthebeastchallenge.co.uk. Unfortunately I won’t have time to reply to them all but take great comfort and encouragement from messages of support.
If you have an event you would like me to attend do please send me an invitation. I will do everything I can to reply to such invitations. archie@beatthebeastchallenge.co.uk
If you know of a way in which I can attract some media attention or raise awareness further, do please get in touch. archie@beatthebeastchallenge.co.uk
If I have inspired you to follow my balanced daily lifestyle and would like to help me raise awareness and increase the number who decide to follow it by sharing your story do please get in touch. archie@beatthebeastchallenge.co.uk
Accountability
All funds raised will be deposited in the Royal Bank of Scotland.
A daily update of monies raised to date is published on this website.
Distribution to the Disasters Emergency Committee is made by me monthly.
All financial reports are published annually on this website.
Above all I promise that every penny you donate goes to the Disasters Emergency Committee. Not even a penny is lost to costs.
Data Protection
As all standing orders are processed through your own bank I do not have any knowledge of or therefore record of your personal details. I can therefore promise you that your details will not be passed on to a third party or used for cold calling follow up calls in any way.
Summary
What was most unexpected was the realisation that has led to the development of this challenge. On diagnosis I had no hesitation in telling my family, friends and the people that I worked with as I felt they had a right to know. I decided to approach the news in a positive way. After all there is always somebody far worse off than I. As a result I have found the strength and depth of support from my friends and family and the community of Edinburgh incredible but have also found the world smiling with me. As I walk down the street I often like to throw a massive smile at those that I pass and almost without fail as big a smile is returned with a cheery greeting. Smile and the world smiles back. Such warmth is felt at such times. Therefore I am going to get out and feel the sun on the face, the wind in my hair, the warmth of good company and marvel at the glory of God’s creation, the wonder of people and man’s incredible aptitude for innovation and creation. This is a glorious world and I intend to rejoice in it and try to do all the Good I can, by all the Means I can, in all the Places I can, at all the times I can, to all the people I can, for as long as ever I can. Please join me on my journey and challenge me to succeed with your sponsorship provide the encouragement to try and Beat the Beast while helping to improve the lives and life chances of so many more people.
How to Sponsor Me
The Beat the Beast Challenge is self-funding through my own contribution while keeping costs to a minimum with voluntary support and corporate sponsorship in kind. Therefore the entirety of every penny donated goes to the Disasters Emergency Committee.
Please sponsor me by completing a standing order form either through your own personal internet banking or by completing the standing order form found here and posting it to your bank at the address found in your cheque book.
The Beat the Beast Challenge Account details needed for the standing order form are as follows:
Payee Name: Beat The Beast Challenge
Account Number: 03278786
Sort Code: 20-63-25
And if making payments from outside the United Kingdom:
IBAN GB38RBOS83241815978839
BIC/SWIFT RBOSGB2L
Bank address:
Royal Bank of Scotland
Edinburgh Leith Branch
2 Bernard Street
Leith
Edinburgh
EH6 6PU
Payee Reference: Your name, Yes (If you are happy for me to list you on the website as a sponsor without revealing the amount that you sponsor. Should you not wish me to do so please write No after your name)
e.g. Archie Douglas, Yes (If happy to be listed as a sponsor on the website without sponsorship amount being revealed)
or
e.g. Archie Douglas, No (If not happy to be listed as a sponsor on the website)
While money begats more money, sponsors also begat more sponsors so if you are willing to let me list your name as a sponsor on the growing roll of honour on this website, please annotate as such with your name followed by the word yes. If you do not wish me to list your name as a sponsor then please annotate with the word ‘No’ after your name.
I will never reveal the amount you sponsor me for. We will all just presume that it is £1 per month, but I would just like to encourage sponsorship from other sponsors by letting them see that people are sponsoring me in increasing numbers. If they see real people sponsoring me then hopefully they will want to sponsor me too.
I guarantee you that every single penny raised goes to the Disasters Emergency Committee.
I guarantee you that I will NEVER email, call, or contact you in any way asking you to increase your sponsorship.
I guarantee you that I will never pass your details on to anyone else because I do not hold your details. The standing order is a private and confidential contract between your bank and the Royal Bank of Scotland who provide an account for the challenge.
While I hope you will encourage me to keep going by sponsoring me for every day I survive and am able to find the neurological and cognitive and physical capability to get that mattress off my back and take the fight to the beast of Neurological Dysfunction while trying to prevent the tumour from ever returning. Any one off donations can be made by BACS or cheque sent to the following account:
Payee: Beat the Beast Challenge
Account Number: 15978839
Sort Code: 83-24-18
Address: Royal Bank of Scotland
2 Bernard Street
Leith
Edinburgh
EH6 6PU
Tel: 03457 242424
All I ask you to sponsor me for is just £1 per month but if you would like to sponsor me for more then do please do so. I would of course be delighted to receive more, but all I ask is just £1 per month, so please do not feel under any pressure to sponsor me for anymore.
Thank you for having enough faith in me to sponsor me.
Yours aye
Archie