A Lanarkshire dad has said the memories of his son going through his brain tumour diagnosis have pushed him to take on a mammoth 24 hour swim for charity.
Scott McQuade will be swimming the length of Loch Lomond and back to raise awareness of brain tumours following his son Ross's diagnosis in 2017.
The then 19-year-old student suffered a seizure in his sleep leading to him being rushed to hospital where it was discovered that he had a meningioma brain tumour.
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Following surgery to remove it on October 17, Ross has been able to make a full recovery. The McQuade family are determined to support other families dealing with a brain tumour diagnosis.
By taking on the gruelling 44-mile swim, a feat few have attempted, Scott hopes to raise funds, and vital awareness of brain tumours, in support of other patients.
He said: "To keep me motivated, I have memories of how strong Ross was when he was going through his journey, before, during and post-surgery. These memories are something that I’ve relied on during the difficult training sessions, especially when the Scottish weather wasn’t playing fair.
“I know that swimming through the night will be difficult. In the darkness, I really won’t be able to see much of anything, so my only point of reference will be the support boat that will be alongside me. This may get a bit disorientating, which could be tough.
"As well as a journey to discover just how far I am able to push myself, I wanted this particular swim to represent the enormous challenge that anyone who has been diagnosed with a brain tumour and their loved ones goes through - as Ross and all our family and friends now know only too well. We were lucky to be supported by the wonderful staff at the Brain Tumour Charity and know how invaluable this support was, and continues to be, to us.
“With this challenge, I hoped that by attempting something so out of the ordinary, people may feel more inclined to support the charity.”
Ross added: "I'm really so proud of my dad for putting his body through this. It's amazing that he has the strength and endurance to even attempt some of the long swims during training - 8, 12, 15 hours - never mind doing the double of Loch Lomond!
“It's so important to keep raising awareness as the charity can become a community and an outlet for people, like myself and my family, to turn to who are in similar situations or have already lived through it. I was one of the lucky ones and had an amazing support system around me, which was helped massively by the charity, but people who may not be as fortunate will have more questions and will need more support in their decisions. The Brain Tumour Charity can help them through that.”
To donate to the fundraiser ahead of Scott's swim on September 9, click here.
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