Retired GP swims the English Channel in honour of former patient

When Clive Woodcock decided he wanted to challenge himself by swimming across the English Channel and do some fundraising, one of his former patients, Trevor Brissett, came to mind.

As a GP, Clive came across four cases of myeloma in his working life. Trevor’s myeloma was aggressive, responded only temporarily to treatment and he was only 49 when he died.

Trevor was well known in the local community, as a professional footballer playing for both Stoke City and Port Vale, and as a work colleague, father, husband, brother and son. When his playing days were over, he continued to be involved with the game as manager and coach. At the onset of his myeloma, Trevor was a coach at the Stoke City Academy.

Clive said, “Trevor was considerate and kind – a gentle giant of a man. I knew that he and his family had been helped in practical and emotional terms by Myeloma UK. Therefore, when I thought of doing my big swim for charity, Myeloma UK came quickly to mind.”

Sharon, Trevor’s widow, assisted with networking and distributing sponsorship forms far and wide. Clive’s daughter, Joanna, assisted with marketing and the Myeloma UK Fundraising Team provided guidance and support along the way. Clive, Sharon and Joanna succeeded in raising over £6,000 entirely through donations.

Clive began his swim on 7 September 2012 and while the sky was cloudless, the tides were merciless. As he approached the French Coast the wind also picked up and in his final hour of swimming, the pilot reported that Clive had barely moved. After 14 hours and having swum about 26 miles, the pilot advised any further effort would be futile.

Clive said, “The day itself was awful, but the adventure as a whole was positive and enjoyable. The donations and the comments that people left on my online fundraising page really spurred me on. It felt like I was being urged on towards France on a huge tide of goodwill. I will definitely fundraise for Myeloma UK again.”

If you would like to fundraise for Myeloma UK contact the Fundraising Team on +44 (0)131 557 3332 or fundraising@myeloma.org.uk