Undertow - Genesis

Lyric:- Stand up to the blow that fate has struck upon you, make the most of all you still have coming to you - Banks.

Song Choice:- One of the best songs from the 1978 album, 'And then there were three', and one that showcases Collins early lead vocal perfection, perfectly.

Anyway, it was the 'Undertow' title that I was really interested in. You know the constant undertow of the sea can easily catch you out especially after a big wave. That was like me last week feeling that by Friday, I'd really thought I'd turned the corner and I could see a clear path ahead of me to a nice and full recovery...I was riding high on a big-roller, and there I was on Facebook announcing to the world that there were good times ahead...

Oh how wrong can you be…

as literally over the weekend, I fell off the wave and crashed into the 'Undertow' and am now so weak, I've got to return to University Hospital Wales, in Cardiff, for more immunoglobulin iv to fight the Guillian Barre Syndrome (GBS) and to find out if I have in fact got its ugly sister Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP) which is a nasty acquired immune-mediated inflammatory disorder of the peripheral nervous system. Google it, read it for a few sentences, get frightened shitless and close the window on your PC as fast as you can, as that’s what I did.

What am I going to do?

Well, I’ve got to keep on going, keep on fighting and roll with the punches. What else can I do? I accept that I’m really seriously ill and that there's not a nine-day wonder-fix for this and the prognosis of either condition isn’t that good but I owe it to myself, my family and all of those that have supported me through the past few months (you know who you are too), to keep on working with my consultants at UHW Cardiff and get this illness beaten as much as I can.

Right now, just to walk a few steps unaided would be a complete revelation. The saying, ‘It’s not how you fall; it’s how you get up’, rings in my ears and maybe I’ll get the call tomorrow that a bed is free for the whole process to start-over again. Let's hope eh?

I’ll keep you posted with my progress and lastly a HUGE ‘Thank you’ to everyone that’s helped me or my family over the past few months. The overwhelming support and messages received have been so humbling.

How I will ever repay that, is impossible to say, but THANK YOU.

Rory Coleman
976 Marathons - 9 Guinness World Records - 13 Marathon des Sables - 1 Big Illness