A ROWER who needed extreme surgery to correct his horribly contorted spine is determined to overcome his latest obstacle – rowing across the Atlantic Ocean.
Mark Gibson, 29, is part of a four-man crew who will row day and night for the next month and a half to raise cash for Movember.
But the daunting challenge is even more remarkable given his disabling spinal condition as a teenager.
Mark’s severe coliosis – which saw his spine twist into an ‘S’ shape – was first diagnosed when he was 12.
Four years later surgeons opened hin up the length of his spine to insert metal rods, pins and bone taken from his own ribs to straighten his backbone.
Mark said: “The first surgery lasted in excess of 10 hours and involved cutting my left side open half of the length of my torso.
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“The muscular discs between my vertebrae were moved and pieces of my ribs were removed.
“I then spent a week in traction to try and straighten my spine out.
“The second operation involved cutting me open from the base of my neck and down the entire length of my spine.
“Two metal rods, 18 plus pins, and the ribs taken from the first operation, were then used to straighten my spine and help the bones fuse in place.”
Mark’s problems however continued once his spine had improved.
“I went from being an outspoken, very active individual, to someone who would lock myself in my bedroom and didn’t want to talk to anyone,” he said.
“I began to feel severely depressed. I could not play the sports like I used to, I had two massive scars on my back.”
His life turned a corner at university where he met friends who helped him talk his way out of depression.
Bucket... and chuck it
- THE hi-tech boat is just nine metres long, and there is just about enough room for the four-man crew.
- TWO will row on the deck while two sleep in the cramped bedroom.
- THEY will take 240kg of dehydrated foom to keep them going.
- THERE are two desalinators on board to convert salt water into fresh water.
- THE toilet facilities are a bucket, tipped over the side, known as ‘Bucket and chuck it’.
Now Mark has joined with three close friends from Bristol – Steve Baker (26), Dan Baker (29) and Jon Lakin (30) – to take on the monumental challenging of cross the Atlantic Ocean in a row boat.
The quartet only took up rowing last year but they are confident they can set a new record when they start the 3,000-mile crossing on Tuesday December 12.
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They will head off from La Gomera in the Canary Islands and will head to Antigua in the Caribbean.
Mark said: “We want to do it in 40 days, which means the boat can’t stop moving.
“We’ll be doing shifts in pairs of two hours on, two hours off. Two people have to keep rowing at all times.”
The team are raising money for The Movember Foundation, to help prevent death in young men from cancer and mental health issues.
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