On Saturday 20 October 2018 I will be climbing the iconic Sydney Tower Eye along with hundreds of other firefighters as quickly as possible in full structural firefighting gear, as well as a 20Kg Compressed Air Breathing Apparatus set to raise money and awareness for Motor Neurone Disease (MND). Please help me raise as much money as possible to help stop this devastating disease. This will be my first climb of the Centre Point Tower. In previous years, I have competed in the Melbourne Firefighter Stairclimb in full Breathing Apparatus in raising funds for depression, suicide and PTSD in the Emergency Services. My best time was 5:29!
Teams of firefighters will race to climb all 1504 stairs (98 floors) of the Sydney Tower Eye, each carrying an additional 20kg of gear. It will be a gruelling challenge, however it is nothing in comparison to the challenge patients with MND face every day.
MND is Motor Neurone Disease, or ALS, or Lou Gehrigs Disease. It doesn’t matter what you call it you don’t want it. Normal healthy fit people exactly like you get MND. It strikes indiscriminately, at anytime with no proven explanation. MND is a progressive, terminal neurological disease. MND affects the nerve cells (neurones) controlling the muscles that enable us to move, speak, breathe and swallow, causing them the degenerate and die. A person’s senses and intellect are not affected. Every dollar raised will directly support vital MND research at the Macquarie University MND Research Centre.
I will be competing alongside my brigade members; a dedicated team of male and female firefighters who have committed in their training for months.
Remember, in case of fire... take the stairs.
Wish me luck,
Jordan