I'm partially sighted - but I'm attempting the world's longest game of padel for this amazing cause
Four Lancashire friends are hoping to get in the Guiness Book of World Records for the longest game of padel ever.
On November 21 and 22, Nathan Young, Benny Evinson, Marcus Mollinga and David Davies will be attempting to play for 40 hours straight - the current record stands at 31 hours, 38 minutes and 50 seconds.
They will be taking on the mammoth feat to raise funds for the Childhood Eye Cancer Trust (CHECT) - a cause close to the heart of Nathan, who fought the condition as a child, and whose daughter Izzy also has it.
Nathan said: “This is a personal one for me, and my story goes back to my childhood. When looking at some family photos, a member of family noticed a glow in one of my eyes. It wasn't known at the time, but this is a common sign of Retinoblastoma.”
Retinoblastoma (Rb) is a type of eye cancer that affects young children, mainly under the age of six. It develops in the cells of the retina, the light sensitive lining of the eye. Around 40-50 cases are diagnosed in the UK every year – approximately one child a week.
Over many months, Nathan saw several specialists and was diagnosed with bilateral RB, meaning both eyes would be affected. For a time, he and his mum had to love in and around St Barts hospital in London where he received a range of treatments, before being allowed home to Lytham.
But the cancer was persistent in both of his eyes, and to preserve some vision in his right eye, it was deemed necessary to remove his left entirely, which was replaced with a prosthetic eye. He is now totally blind in his left eye and visually impaired in his right. He said: “So, my vision isn't very good! I do, however, consider myself lucky, and try to always think it could have been much worse and it wouldn't have been out of the question that I lost all vision in my right eye also!
“Of course, as I've grown up the nature of my sight does present me with challenges and obstacles. Though I never quite made it as a professional footballer or a top 10 Padel player, I like to think I'm a good example of somebody that will get stuck in and have a go at everything without worrying too much about how it'll pan out! I owe that very much to my mum and dad who have forever encouraged me to have a go at things as well as my hugely supportive family and friends.”
In December 2019, Nathan welcomed daughter Izzy into the world, and checks soon revealed that she too had Rb and would need to undergo various cycles of Chemotherapy to kill the cancer and present the further spread. Nathan said the support from CHECT - particularly in light of the global pandemic and lockdowns - was “absolutely immense”.
He added: “Izzy's outlook is a little more favorable than my own, and with a fair wind the hope is she will retain healthy vision in one eye due to the proactive diagnosis and swift treatment. It is thought she will lose most (if not all) vision in the other eye. It's safe to say, this really doesn't stop her, and despite a challenging start to life it's been unbelievably fulfilling to watch her take life in her stride and just go for it, she's a tough kid!
Nathan’s youngest daughter, Sophie, does not have the condition - something they were able to determine through testing before she was born.
Nathan said: “It's really difficult to explain just how valuable the support from CHECT has been, and how different the whole experience could have been without it. Whilst it is difficult to qualify just how grateful I am, what I do know is it is my time to give back and ensure that families who have their RB journeys to come are able to receive the same support that we were fortunate enough to have had, as well as help advance research and development around diagnosis and treatments.”
How will the record attempt be done?
The game will be played at the the Zooki Padel Areana in Blackpool. The rules require play to continue throughout the whole time period, and the same four players must play throughout. They must remain in the same pairs throughout the attempt, and an official match score will need to be provided at the end. Breaks are limited to five minutes for every full hour of play completed.
The team will be starting early on the Friday morning and aim to complete by 8pm on Saturday, whereafter they will be hosting a fundraising race night.