Two Glossop men to tackle London Marathon to support friend left paralysed by mosquito bite

Two Glossop lads are preparing to run the London Marathon this weekend, raising funds for their friend John Barber, who was left paralysed from the neck down by a mosquito bite.

Phil Atkinson and Ste Waring will be lining up alongside fellow runners on Sunday, April 21, as the klaxon marks the start of the event.

John, a former University of Edinburgh graduate and then communications officer, contracted Japanese Encephalitis, a rare mosquito borne zoonotic virus, while travelling in Laos and Thailand in 2015 aged 24 - just 12 days before he was set to fly to Australia.

As a keen footballer and sportsman, the virus affected his central nervous system - brain and spinal cord - and caused him to be "largely paralysed" from the neck downwards due to spinal cord lesions from the virus.

John was initially in a coma and is now wheelchair-bound, but his family said he actively gets out and about and keeps positive.

Kath Miller, John's mum, said: "After many years in various hospitals and care homes, John is now living at home in his adapted home annexe and is making the very best of his life while busy with ongoing therapies.

"He enjoys more independence with his electric-powered wheelchair, trips out in his van and holidays."

The aim of Sunday's marathon is to raise enough money to purchase an Eyegaze Assistive Communication Device for John. This would greatly improve his quality of day-to-day life by helping him communicate in a way he has not yet been able to.

The technology, which sits on a movable stand, would allow John to send messages and control his own TV and music by translating the movement of his eyes into mouse cursor movements. For the first time, he would be able to send his own messages and control his computer screen, TV controls and mobile phone.

This technology will revolutionise John's control over his environment and allow a stronger sense of independence.

A Speech and Language therapist will also train and help John with any EyeGaze equipment his family and friends are able to fundraise for. The full cost of all of the equipment is £4,500.

"I have been friends with John since the age of 11 and have looked to fundraise wherever possible. Me and Ste thought the London Marathon would be a great opportunity raise some much needed funds for John's EyeGaze equipment," Phil said.

"We've both been training for about four months, starting in a wet and windy January with us running through all weather conditions. We're hoping for some milder weather on Sunday.

"We're both a bit nervous about undertaking such a big run but we're hoping that our training gets us through and knowing we're doing it for such a great cause will get us over the finish line."

Ste added: "Running the London marathon was always a dream but to be able to do it for such a close friend makes it even better.

"Training has been horrendous I’m not gonna lie. I’m pretty sure I have only ran in drizzle or hail for the last 3 months so thankfully the final day is down south! I know that John and his family will be watching so we both hope to do our best and raise as much money as we can for such a worthy cause."

The family added: "Any donations towards this will be so much appreciated by John. It will greatly add to his daily capabilities, improving his communication and the enjoyment of his day.

"John has been so very grateful for his earlier fundraisers for his power chair, WAV van, and his disabled home extensions. All have greatly improved his daily life. As a next priority in improving John’s quality of life we are looking for funds to be put towards the fantastic EyeGaze Communication equipment."

You can donate or read more about John's story here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/johneyegaze?utm_campaign=p_cp+fundraiser-sidebar&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer.

Left to right: Phil Atkinson and Ste Waring