Cowie man Bryan Norris is set to take to the skies for a flying fundraiser after being given a devastating diagnosis.
Builder Bryan, 60, will be taking on the terrifying zip line in North Wales - described as the fastest in the world - alongside family and friends next week to raise money for the MND Scotland charity.
It comes after Bryan was given the bad news in November that he had been diagnosed with the condition, which currently has no cure.
But in an effort to keep spirits high, he will now be taking on the high-flying zip line on February 19 - initially bought as a 60th birthday present by wife Elaine - to support the charity and raise awareness of MND.
Elaine said: “He hadn’t been keeping great, but he’s an old school kind of man and was just getting on with things.
“He started getting pins and needles and wasn’t feeling 100 per cent, but he just kept putting it down to age until he started to slur his words and lose his speech and it was then that I persuaded him to go the GP.
“He was told then that it was arthritis of the spine and then he got his throat looked at because they thought it might be something to do with the gullet.”
With Bryan’s speech and cramps worsening, doctors were still unsure about what was causing the issues but after taking further tests, he was formally diagnosed with MND.
Since then, family and friends have rallied around to offer their support and the good wishes from the wider community have seen the online fundraiser for Bryan’s zip line challenge already rocket past their £1000 target, raising £2,452 at time of going to press.
On the page, Bryan writes: “The impact this is having on not only myself but my family is crippling.
“Unfortunately there is no cure for this horrible disease but I am very fortunate for the support network I have around me.
“So with this in mind my family and I are going to fulfil something I have always wanted to experience and that is fly on the world’s fastest zip line in Wales to tick this off my bucket list. I have decided to do this while raising awareness and funds for this amazing charity.”
Elaine added: “It’s about making the best of a bad situation and trying to get on with things; that’s the only way we know how to do it.
“We decided to turn what was a funny present for his 60th birthday into a charity effort and it went from just Bryan and his friend Ian doing it to members of the family saying they wanted to get involved. It’s definitely an emotional journey for us but hopefully we can educate folk and raise some pennies for the charity in the process.”
Visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/bryan-norris.
