 Hey John, it's Eddie Redmayne here and I just wanted to send you this video I take my hat off to you and how wonderful that you're raising money for this extraordinary cause Congratulations so far on the Cycle challenge for multi-neuron disease fantastic job guys. You really are smashing it. I Send lots and lots of love to you John and Rachel and just thank you for for today So keep me posted. I'm here. I'm here for you and then it's a shuffle forward and then out you go So first of all, tell us why you're here. What are you doing here? What's all this fuss about? Right. Well, the fuss is about we're in the highest drop zone in the world in the Himalayas here and I'm one of a very lucky few that is gonna be jumping from 23,000 foot out of a helicopter Let's say What you did today? Unbelievable John, how are you brother? Yeah, good. Thanks Chris mate yourself. Yes, you got a J on the wall. Is that so you don't forget your name? Yeah, I think I don't really do it that way. So wrong way round at the minute. I think so Yeah, it just gives me something to think about Brilliant name John mate Yes, you're right. Exactly the same name as me dad. Yeah, that's it's my middle name No, I Give people give people my bank details. They can take some money out my account They can take it out yours, but in the mind if they want They'll have a job So John it's absolutely wonderful mate to get you on the show Yeah In no particular order. So first off, we've got my very dear friend Andy Coombs whose support he's We're in he's in my life coaching group on Facebook and he's a very Powerful contributor. He's always off taking himself off camping and I just get so envious Envious of his Activities so Andy massive love to you mate and massive. Thank you and to Arlene your wife who? Contacted me after Andy said give Chris a mail and she said John has skydived over Everest Which just Massively piqued my interest having done a bit of skydiving Absolutely loved it. Everest is kind of one of my dreams. I Be sure it's an utterly beautiful part of the world. I've never quite been that far John has been as far as In as far as India Yes, and you've skydived twice over Everest Yes Yeah, very very fortunate very fortunate. Not many people get that honor Anyway, but to as far as I've twice with MND raising the flag for MND awareness Absolute honor, absolutely So motor neuron disease is from my very limited understanding apologies, but it's a gradual weakening of Of the muscles Yeah, it's basically the the muscular system in the body's closing down They don't know why it starts or how to stop it Mainly sporty people get it hence Doddy where Rob burrows are two big names in this country at the minute the rugby players use van de vestes and the South Africa from after out of it Steven all can probably the most famous universally known person to have had it They don't know how to stop it Chris So they did So my body is closing down and there's nothing they can do so my arms are now gone all I'm sitting here like this Swing my arm on the sofa. I'm sitting on the floor. I can't use my arms and my whole body's gonna close down and What happens unlike every other neurological disease? Motor neuron disease will in tune me in my body you become in tune It doesn't affect the brain in general so I will know everything that's going on I'll be completely copious meant this but I won't be able to move breathe talk Anything I can't I won't be able to tell my kids I love them or my wife. I love her It's absolutely horrific horrific death sentence is class as the worst diagnosis in the world John's body is shutting down. Just come give me a hand So I've lost use of my arms so being an ex-world champion power lifter and firefighter is pretty devastating Everybody's scared of MND. It's the most life-shifting of all the neurological disease is people seem to be scared to talk about it It's like a dirty word and I don't understand it So what a challenge Yeah, yeah, I've set myself these challenges Chris because you know, I've done a lot in my life I think I've had a pretty colorful life and I've just got to keep going mate. My mantra is never give up, you know, I don't ever give up. I'll never give up Simple as that. I will keep going. I'll keep beating the beating the chest and banging the drums for MND Not enough to know about it I'm not I know quite a few people have died of it tragically myself now. I will keep raising that flag And our friends at home might Or some of them at least or our friends across the the Atlantic might know it better as ALS That's right. Yeah ALS amyotrophic lateral cirrhosis or in fact, you might have heard of it as Lou Gehrig's disease It was a very famous baseball player in fact one of the most famous ever baseball players who died in the late 30s of it So, yeah, it's known as those two things in America, but MND everywhere else Do they know what the connection is with with sport? They don't they don't they they they think head injuries trauma, etc I follow a very switched on doctor in America Who is linking it to a basically a compromise of the spinal system? So your your your csf basically gets a tiny tear in it. It could be a micro tear That's unnoticeable from an injury a back or neck injury And that's where the toxins get in and without being able to repair that you've got no chance I mean, it's 100% fatal everywhere. Everyone with it dies is 100 fatal you got you get 50% dying in the first year Some within weeks and you're given two or three years to live Yes got you and and it was a bit of a surprise was it not but um Stephen Hawking went on as As long as he did Well, he he lasted 55 years. So he's the longest known survivor, believe it or not, but he Now people people are sort of like under, you know, the impression he died of MND He actually died of pneumonia against Stephen Hawking because very very Unusually his form of MND. There's hundreds of different formats of MND. Everyone has it differently It affects, you know, it could start with your diaphragms. He stopped breathing, you know, which is the muscle Stephen Hawking for some reason and I don't know why it never ever attacked his breathing system So he if you if you think back or if anyone after this Podcast looks online and watches images of Stephen Hawking, he never had a mask on a lot of people with MND You'll see with the masks going in the nose that the nippies and the bi-pack's going in the mouth He never had to have that have you ever heard the rumor that he was a double I've heard lots of rumors, Christian. I believe it or not over the years. I've heard lots of quite Quite sad jokes and all but I won't repeat any now, you know, near I am in the same boat So I better not repeat any I suppose Wow, bit of humor doesn't go amiss, mate. Does it but No, no, yeah Because he had such a prominent part in science Yeah, and because, you know, that's that's really worth a lot to the the elites, you know, these these huge corporations, the big pharmaceutical It kind of was really in their interest to have his voice like support in their narrative. That's that's where the Because I mean it was I mean he grew to Fairly ripe old age, didn't he and and it sort of defied Yeah, 76. He lived to 76. Well, just I think he just turned 77 and I mean, he was a you know, obviously the Google pioneered his or was it Microsoft pioneered the voice system that he had Nowadays what they do is that when you get diagnosed with MND they They basically advise you to voice bank So you go on this bit of software and say about two or three hundred phrases into the computer And then when you lose your voice, which 80% of us do we lose your ability to talk, breathe, eat everything Um, they use your voice on the computer system now So it's advanced a lot. But yeah, so he was a good advert for Microsoft and Google I just have to record Han, can you get his cup of tea? Most most said expression in this house I'm Mr. Angry. Do you remember that Mr. Angry thing when people got you a ring a number and it was Mr. Angry? Yes Yeah, that's all I recall, mate I'll in a back me up on that There used to be that a phone number There was a number you could text And it was like ask me anything, right? Yeah So One night, I think I'd had a couple of beers. I thought I'll text who is chris rule, right? I think this is the Very very early days of the internet as is um Anyway, whoever it was was quite complimentary. They text back Um It was something like Chris frault is a Acute individual with stunning blue eyes Yeah Yeah, that makes up for all the put downs I've Had by by women over the years Yeah, happy dies happy dies Hey, John is Luke. I just wanted to say firstly. Hi I heard you have a bit of a fight on your hands with moto and urine disease and um, your lovely Lady sent me a message requesting that I just say hey, what's up after now? I know what you're going through wanted to take a minute just to say firstly What a worry you are what an amazing man you are what a lovely smile and good energy you have even through your fight And I just want to say please you know use this video or not to help bring awareness to uh That plight and that that that that battle you you deal with every day. Um That man is just just words of encouragement Telling you I only love your way my brother and if I'm lucky enough to see you at some point You're going to get a big hug whether you like it or not. So get over it Um, that's it my friend. Stay stay strong Be the example that you've been so far and continue to do so because uh, Certainly, that's what's brought my attention to your your cause and um Nothing, but love your way bro. Stay strong so john 26 years as a firefighter Yes, um, that's quite you must have seen some stuff in that time Yeah, one of two things might to be honest. Um Yeah, it opens your eyes. It does open your eyes, mate. Um, You know as you well know, you know deaths around us. It's everywhere As you well know, uh You just gotta live with it and you gotta you gotta get on with it. I always found when I'm in uniform I'm a different person You know, I think if I was walking down the street now with my kids from all my lads And I saw someone get run over. I think I'd possibly react react mentally slightly differently I'm not saying I'll start screaming and shouting like a Like a whisper. I think I'd possibly react a little bit different So if I was at the fire station and called out to something a lot more gruesome You just switch on don't you get into that mode and you do your job Yeah, and humor comes in a lot there in the fire service. Does it not is that a way of dealing with it? Oh, big time. Yeah, big time humor to the point again. I couldn't even repeat it, you know It's humor is how we get through things, mate. We uh, We will get back. We will make comments which which get us through it So, you know without saying too much and they and that's yeah, that's how you do it And everyone's got their own way, aren't they? Some people go with it within themselves Um, but as a team generally you don't tend to go within yourself because you've got Good big characters around you, you know proper fellas you you tend to just beat it out You know, we'll beat our chests and scream and shout and crack a joke and Give the next cup of tea and on we go sort of thing Yes What was it John what we at can you tell us a few memorable Incidents are supposed to be in a podcast house. I should ask you What what's the parameters? Oh mate, you got a free for all on here. I I always say to people To my guests you got to remember that a lot of people at home. They've never like been in the military They've never been in the blue light services. They they're fascinating to know Um As I am I'll give you a couple so so when I was I was I was 21 at a time. I had my breakfast at the station Got called to uh a jumper under the train at two in broadway underground train. I was I was at two in at a time Uh got called there Went down at baking hot day. So we had the air ambulance Obviously those suicide pits in the middle of the tracks there at the underground stations are a little bit tight So i'm under there with the air ambulance and Really tragically this woman's daughter of them. So this woman had jumped under the train basically She's under there. She'd got dragged along the lines But where she had jumped and landed by a complete freak Her feet had landed on the rails and the the god knows how but the The wheel of the train had culled her toes off Yeah, so i'm under the train there sort of thing and the air ambulance The hems stopped us saying do us a favor, you know, uh pick up her toes So i'm looking around in the suicide pit and we're talking i'm picking up and I had 10 Believe it or not. I'm not this is no exaggerate I had 10 toes in my hands all that were cut off all All over them all You know bits of black and all that she's pretty dirty down there And I said to him, you know, what do you want me to do with these mate? He said look look just hold up a minute because he was obviously working on her because she'd been dragged along the line By the train which had obviously punctured into her side So in the end, you know, they took them off me and put them in one of these, you know, these bags to To sort of secure and I very much doubt they were much used to be fair But the tragedy that was that the woman passed away sadly afterwards And um, the sad thing was her daughter got run over on a zebra crossing the week before So she's gone and jumped on there. So, you know, that's that's sad So that's one and then We had we had another one where Right, this woman was you know, these people that have emphysemia or COPD have the oxygen equipment at home to do the breathing So this old deer had um, she was sitting indoors on her oxygen equipment So she was taking one breath of oxygen Taking the mask away and having a drag of her fag Well, you know, as you know, like oxygen and heat don't really go very well So next thing we've we're the massive explosion blew out windows 400 400 yards down the road This was all over the news. Anyone listening might remember it. It's just off Cromwell Road in it in kensington Uh, so basically we turned up And one of our lads um, uh, irish lad, uh, batsy on the green watch. We nicknamed him semtex. I won't tell you why So I've gone well, uh, semtex. I've gone here. Come in here geese. Come and have a look at this So we walked in and I am not joking you mate. It was like I've seen out I don't know. I don't feel more something. What happened? This this this explosion had blown her backwards So she's her body's sort of landed probably only about 12 foot from the machine Even though it blown all the windows out and everything but uh, she was lying on her back with her sort of Feet up, you know, so her knees are up sort of thing And the the explosion had completely seared away the front of her body. So it's all skeleton Right, but she still had her tongue burnt out in in the mouth of the skeleton She still had various organs that were just dried out burnt out in a rib cage And and the back of her skin was still intact even a bit of hair on the back of her head where that had obviously survived the explosion And I'm I'm sort of down like blooming colombo Like getting in amongst it and I'm saying, I mean, obviously not that touch because of the forensics and whatever And I'm saying the semtex. I'm saying come on. So if you get down here, mate, have a look at this And he didn't really know what he was doing. He didn't know what to do So and and that was that was a I mean graphically wise that that one really sticks him Yeah, that was incredible. That was that was one of those ones where you go back and you sort of piece it together If you had everything, you know, George Lucas couldn't have done those effects on that that was that was incredible But I mean, I've had loads, Chris, to be fair over the years loads, you know when a young in fact, I wouldn't even Because that was probably a few that did sort of upset me a bit when a young leg got run over by a chipper lorry And that that was awful to see how the human body Tries to keep you alive Was was unbelievable. This led you to think there was nothing wrong with him when we turned up He was completely under the double axle at the back the double wheels themselves They twisted his whole body twice in the middle So he was like a colt screw. So he was he was basically a chicken. He was dead anyway without realizing it Um, it just snapped his spine and all his internals and everything and then 53 minutes later when we actually lifted the lorry off of him When we turned up, he was banging the wheel saying get me out. Get me out. You would have thought there was nothing wrong with him And then let's say 53 minutes it took us to to drip him up, you know the paramedics and like it because as you know You can't just release someone who's trapped otherwise they'll die anyway of a toxic heart attack So by the time we got him out It was like someone was standing next to him a track pump a bike track pump and pushing down his whole body his head He's upper half that was still out of the you know that you could see from under the wheels Was just like blowing up like a balloon and down again with the pulse. It was absolutely Horrific it was awful That that one really really that that was one of the few Three times i'd say in the job where I went back to the station and thought Oh, that was horrible. I didn't I didn't like that one, you know that that was upsetting and the only reason that was because my sadly my daughter died a few years ago and That changed my outlook on death That that changed how I thought about it I actually looked at those people and thought hang on they've got a family They've got a mum and dad are going to get a knock at the door soon and told And as you know with a military same thing Someone's going to get a knock at the door soon and told that their their loved ones are not coming back And and when my daughter died that changed that mate. So it made me think differently about death May on behalf of myself and i'm sure many many people listening just massive. Thank you for your I I never thought i'd say people say this to me all the time about the military and i'm like just don't say that But thank you for your service. I mean The word hero gets banded around these days But what you guys and girls do is I mean when When someone needs it the most or a family needs it the most You know, you you you're you're there without question Oh, i'm getting i'm getting emotional thinking about it So the same with you again mate same with the military when people are running out We're running in and we it's the same thing We're running in we're paid a pittance for what we do Don't get me wrong. We choose what we do because we love it We want to help people and you know in a real world how much is it worth for what you did? Well, you know how much is it worth to go in? Saving people's like well, they couldn't pay you enough. Good day Let's be honest because saving one life is worth more than they could pay me So I accepted that me 14 quid an hour or whatever 1800 quid a month, which is a pittance after 26 and a half years I was on 1860 quid a month takeover. It was pathetic, but I loved the job I love helping people. I love making a difference and all my brothers and sisters that are still in that job You know, you know, I think the world of them, you know, because we all have a laugh and yeah A lot of percentage at a time people say we're sitting around the station But they don't know the training. We don't they don't know what we're prepared and ready to do It's not a matter of You know, we're not going to be in fire gear 24 7 tearing about at breakneck speeds on a fire engine When there isn't a fire so we go out and we we we visit elderly and you know susceptible people and People that need help and put fire alarms up and give them a little bit of advice We go to school fates we go and give fire safety briefings and what have you but when the shit hits a fan We're there mate, you know two o'clock in the morning. We're tearing down the road putting our lives at risk We're running in, you know, I'm sure you have many a time where you thought you were genuinely going to die Three times in that job. I genuinely Literally my ass. I went and I thought I'm fucking dead here. Absolutely. I'm dead here three times You know and and I can recall them like yesterday, but I loved it. It was part of the job My um My local fire station had an open day the other day lovely and uh My girlfriend took our lad along and she said Do you know his favorite part Of the whole day was I said go on. She said the fireman's axe Right is my boy loves axes. He wants to be a lumberjack Oh, hang on. We got you on mute One sec John can't hear you Yeah, I was saying wasn't on my My son wants to be a lumberjack when he's older. He's he's just got a brilliant brilliant book all about the history of lumberjacks and um I bought him a a bust his axe the other day. He's only seven Um And I broke his axe I was putting too much I was using it as a wedge for something and I snapped the handle so I Went up being cute and bought him a nice one of these comp composite ones, you know, like the fiber Carbon fiber think jobbies yes Yes Yes, that was it. That's that's my son, you know very practical Very good for him Good for him and tell us about the power lifting mate Yeah, so I got in um Yeah, my dad was a dad of one of me all the brothers were a little bit of bodybuilders nothing, uh, you know Not all short snagger or far from it, but I used to do a lot of weight training and what have you and then um I was yeah, you know, I was always pretty strong from his size and then one of the lads went. Why don't you get into uh Do something with your strength, you know, you're quite strong And I went yeah, why not I've I had a little think about it So I went and done a little power power lifting comp and won it and then I got in with a few mates of mine this way who are like power lifting legends They're like, you know, some of the best lifters we've ever had in this in this country and I started training with him and And it went from there and I won a few world police fire and prison games and World firefighter games and the world's strongest firemen and what have you so Yeah, I've got a few little titles to my name and I quite enjoyed it. You know, I'm going to get the medals all sort of framed from a from a boys Uh to have on the wall And I had a couple of world records at various games. I mean, there's all different The thing with power lifting a lot of these sports now. There's all different federations You know, I would say the cream of the federations is the IPF the international power power lifting federation I never won a world championship in that I'd love to have But I don't think I took enough gear to be clear. It's a win that one But um, I was only prepared to uh put so much in me So I was going to say did you get on the gear because that that changes things, doesn't it? Yeah, oh, yeah, I've done the gear chris, you know, and anyone who said anyone who wins titles and said they're not Is absolute talking bollocks You know what I mean? You don't have to um convince me that I remember I was in austria Staying with my mate massively into cycling and we were watching larn larn's armstrong Like his seventh tour de france And I'll say to him I'll mention the gear, you know my mate. No, he's the most tested man in sport. I said not absolute nonsense. You you Yeah, I remember I did a bit back in the day And friends at home Absolutely Don't recommend doing this. Well, you do what you do with your life what you like just like I've done with mine, but it The actual bodybuilder I can only speak for myself and I don't want to put anybody down, but it the bigger you got the smaller you felt and and More like narcissistic you become me going out in public with all these short shots and and It took took a mate of mine to come up to me and say chris fucking stop doing that shit, man Yeah, you're a handsome bloke Get down the gym by all means but all this like walking around like a fucking peacock you look a dick and It was really kind he said that but the thing was john I'll go in the gym And say you're doing like pull downs I'll have it. I don't know the Six weight down or whatever. Maybe there's a stack of 20 And then there's a train to bear and maybe You know nudge it down four or five When I did a bit of gear I used to get The biggest weight the dumbbells in the gym stack it on top of the weights on the machine Right in the like a crisscross pattern, then I'd get whoever was in the gym to stand on top of it That's it. Yeah, and and and he and it was just absolutely We were more than one in more Ah, yeah, it was it Yeah, I can't speak for people, you know other other people and I know people get upset if you If you judge them and I don't judge people, but I'm talking about myself now It was just a massive side of my Like insecurity coming out Yeah And I had I'm one of them people are a bit spawning really I've always had a body that most people would be really Just just happy with I didn't need to do that, you know Yeah, I was the same. I was quite sort of athletic, but You know, I got on the gear and I didn't take a lot of gear I was only ever on small amounts because obviously powerlifting is about body to weight Sort of strength. It's not bodybuilding. So I didn't need to balloon up even though I did get I was a lump don't get me wrong But I only took certain amounts, you know, I had made sure it was taking shit loads and You know, that changed your personality and everything and it don't even just change your body. It changes everything Yeah Where it goes really horribly peaked tongue and people started biting balls and killing themselves and crap Yeah, it's not good. I'm physically physically changed now for life Not gonna say Not gonna say how but it you know, it It's strong old stuff has an effect on you Um, I've I'm gonna be honest. I feel sorry For the women And the reason is Is I will openly admit it when I was doing it. I was deluded. I was just utterly deluded Right. I thought my choices in life were were thought were Were fine The difference is as a bloke when you decide to stop it Yeah, you you still look like a bloke Yeah, you know, but some of these Girls are just I'm not I'm not judging. I have absolute respect for anybody in any sport But it's the fact that you can change yourself irreconcilably Oh Well, what do you think about it? You know, it's a male hormone. So it's not gonna change other parts of us So much obviously the muscular system, but with women if they're injecting the male hormone then Their body is is is almost slowly physically becoming male. They get a deeper voice. They get facial and body hair They get that. I mean they're clitoris enlarges Literally because their body's trying to grow penis, you know, it's it's incredible what what steroids do for women It devastates their bodies devastates them. I mean the east germans used to Back in a day when the east germans and the russians were all Accused of doing all the drugs and what have you what they used to do was they actually used to take the wombs of the And ovaries of the female athletes out so they weren't producing estrogen the female hormone I mean the lengths they went to back then It's shocking. That's why they were all built like fellas Yes, gosh Yes, I'm only saying this just in the hope that somebody might listen and Take but you you don't when you're young do you do what you want to do and no one can really You you think you know everything and no one can tell you anything No, no, you just want to feel good, don't you? So mate, let's get on to skydiving Yes over Everest and I've watched your video So Do you want to mention you you you mentioned earlier the companies that were involved in getting you up there Yeah, right. So, uh, yeah, that's that is important because without them. I couldn't have done it And without them, I couldn't have raised a massive amount of awareness for my neural disease. So it is important So the well the first company's actually a charity Again x regiment involvement. So pilgrim bandits is the charity that backed me Matt Hellier is the CEO x regiment matt top bloke very very good mate of mine Uh, you know got the ends of the world and back for matt he made that possible that trip Literally single ended he made that possible Uh, so we went out there a group of vets. There's about 18 of us So without pilgrim bandits, it wouldn't have happened. It's about 130 000 pound trip in the end Uh, that said without parabellum tactical training Uh lee winter and and his lovely wife Olga. They run a very small, uh, exclusive parachute Parachuting company skydiving company With the help of a good friend of theirs flanners who's a raf skydiving instructor and he does this He's one of these, uh, he works at briars. I think it's either briars or a line of doing the Testing for all the equipment. So if they've got a lot, uh, do the skydiving in with a motorbike They'll make the new harnesses up And he's one of these, uh, the the blokes that tests all the equipment for military skydiving Of the a 400 he's doing all the new testing with with uh lee with another a 400 So those people made this possible And you know it it was just it was just incredible chris never been an helicopter in my life until then Yeah, they're quite Quite good fun, aren't they? Cool, aren't they just yeah Yeah, you get a bit spoiled in the marines because you don't just get to have a trip in helicop You get to jump out of them and do the underwater dunker drills and Fly up that you fly up the valleys in norway and the pilots just go so low to the ground and the The um airframe is just weaving from side to side and In that moment You really feel like i'm a commando I'm in norway doing an expiry in norway in two weeks family There's a there's a guy out there called desmond something desmond his name is i think he used to train sbs Um, we're going out to his centre meeting him and then we're doing Uh, again some vets and what have you? Um, a couple of terminal firefighters me and another one mate of mine in london fire brigade And a terminal copper and we're going out there and we're doing a couple two and a half days trekking over the mountains down to one of the fjords and then six days kayaking in the fjord um Camping up and up the mountains. So i'm looking forward to that Oh mate i'll tell you what Norway such a stunningly beautiful country and i've had the privilege of living there for i think off and on for about four years Oh lovely Oh, yeah, i lived i lived on an island for nine months called uh freya And uh a chop fish chop salmon in a Oh Crazy enough a chop salmon for the japanese like sushi market, you know This island was just Obviously you had to get a ferry to get to it. So it was all cut off. It was They're very big on community in scandinavia. They live in what they call communes and they have a much more Bigger sense of community than we do Yeah Yeah Every weekend we got hammered on moonshine Oh question. Yeah, they call it hembrent, which means home home brood um Did some diving up there? Uh, it was just i lived on the dock. I actually lived Right on the like the harbour pontoon, you know our I don't know what you call it. It was like a Cottage all in that nice red wood that they have over there all the buildings are in That red wood and yeah, I don't my room just looked straight out over the harbour if you went fishing Literally you could just go quarter of a click out And pull up these massive cods just just one fish after another not like in the uk where You can go out for eight hours and still come back with nothing. It's just Incredible the people were were were were wonderful Yeah Yeah, it's I'm really looking forward to it I mean I was I was cage diving with the sharks in South Africa last month. That was something else I mean again with my flag in in you know in the old Atlantic ocean there off hands by It's it's just It's living the dream mate, you know, but the sky the sky dive really was the most that was the icing on the cake Without a doubt 23,000 foot that a stripped the helicopter out because that's as always they can go um You know all the way up there oxygen Unbelievable unbelievable and then I literally felt I could touch Everest You got amadablam there you're looking at lotsy Everest amadablam. It's looking up the kumbu valley beautiful beautiful clear blue sky And then I've got Lee hanging off the back of me, you know You know spare a spare limb, you know so to speak no easy easy top fellow Lee and um Just got you know, we've done all the drills. We've done all the training jumps over here And then when it happened, I mean I cried when when I landed I cried I mean Martin who's just trying to call me there Martin was one of the other jumpers four of us jumped. So there was me Martin Compton um, I don't if you know harry magar Boudard The double amputee gherka who's trying to be the first to climb Everest next year. Oh, okay. No, I'm not familiar with him Oh, he's a mate of mine. So harry got uh, he's double amputee We supported him He got to Everest Basecamp this year first double amputee to trek to base camp ever and he came back To meet us and him done the jumps with us And in next year, hopefully we're going out and trek into base camp with harry And then he's going up with an expert expert again with x regiment boy um gherka To climb Everest to be the first double amputee to summit Everest. Hmm Well, that's what sounds the sort of thing nymphs die would be involved in, you know the sbs Gherka turned sbs guys been on the podcast. He was the first Uh first well He wasn't the first he climbed the world's is it 14 highest peaks? In six months um Take your time Yeah, so nymphs die climb the world's 14 highest peaks in six months knocking like six and a half years off the off the record Uh, exactly. Yeah, the book he wrote about it's just incredible. I Encourage anybody to read. It's a really good good good read and like I said, he was kind enough to come on the podcast um Well, another guy you might be interested in the podcast. So again again just left the regiment funny enough Krishna thapper his name is uh x gherka absolute absolutely come in mate Give it give us two seconds mate. That's right. Cheers um, Krishna thapper just let he's um, he's climbed Everest twice Kate in fact It was the first British serving military person to climb Everest and k2 and he's the one taking harry uh up Everest He took the successful special forces team up Everest a few years back 2017. I think Yeah, all of all of these uh Gentlemen shame we can't get shame we can't get more women on my podcast and then we've got to Do something about that but yeah, all these gentlemen make pleas by all means put them in touch Yeah, yeah, they're all legends mate. These are they're all good. They're all good. I'm very honored to be around these people you know, they're um, they've done a lot for me And uh, they do a lot for a lot of people funny enough You know, they're good people. What was the view like up there then it must have been stunning Mate, I'm unbelievable I literally I'm not often lost for words, but Not so if I had a pair of binos, I'd have been looking at the blokes climbing up Everest. I was that close I felt like I'd just reach out and touch it. It was unbelievable absolutely Unbelievable you flew into that famous airport near near is it called nam chi baza? Yeah loose club Yeah, yeah, if you can have a word was With some of these chaps that'd be excellent. Yeah, of course. I will. Of course. I will. Yeah, I'll put them in touch with you Yeah, I'm always um, I'm always I like I like it when military guys have gone on to do you know good stuff benevolent stuff kind stuff Or adventurous stuff. That's pretty cool, too Yeah, I'm I'm surrounded by I'm surrounded luckily and and you know, I'll say it's a great honor I'm surrounded by some great people like that who dedicate their lives to helping other people to be fair You know, so um, yeah, that'd be great And john, how can people um support Port support you what's the best what what links can we put below for them? uh Well, so so my wife Arlene and myself we have a uh, instagram page and a facebook page And it's cycle challenge for mnd simply because I cycled from john o grope salan's end A couple years ago again with uh build building banished massive thing. It was with all over sky. I know everything raising awareness for mnd Uh, my my eldest son was 14 14 or just turned 15 at a time rode the whole 920 miles on his bike It was incredible. It was so if people want to follow us on cycle I'll spell it out because it's a slightly different spelling it's c y c l e c h a double l a n g e The number four mnd So cycle challenge for mnd If you if if they can if they have a look on there follow it follow the link And just follow us we don't we're not raised. We don't want money off anyone We just want people to follow us steal the stupid things. I've done over the last Three years since I've been diagnosed Um, I've done loads of things done loads of challenges Uh, still want to do as much as possible if you've got anyone yourself chris who you know Who's got a challenge? I want to do the sheet dip funny enough. I want to do the marine sheet dip down in um devon Uh down there. I want I want to do that mate you in you're in odd enough Ha Literally mate, I'll back you up on that one. I'll have to be shoved under there like a torpedo mate. Anyway, we're no arms So they have to shove me under No, you're you're gonna you're gonna smash that one mate. I I I I can tell that Yeah, so I would be willing to do the sheet dip And every time if they keep pushing me backwards forwards, you know that way however many times I do it Raise awareness of mnd or raise money for a charity or something. You know what I mean? It's just And I'll have loads of the boys and girls loads of me brothers and sisters down there helping me John it's been an absolutely cracking chat mate. I thoroughly enjoyed making your acquaintance and uh discussing the stuff That we have I hope our friends at home got got as as much out of that as I did I Make keep smashing it, you know keep smashing it. I don't need to tell you to stay positive because um You don't need me to tell you that and I wish you the best of luck in Norway. That's you're really going to enjoy that and Keep us keep us informed mate. Keep us up to speed with what you're doing Of course, I will Chris. I'll let you know how the Norway goes. Um, I'm out next week probably counting with our md mate, so I'll have a chat with him and yeah, no, I'll keep you updated mate because obviously any any, you know It helps md awareness And I'll speak to the leads and I'll put a few of the boys into touch here. There's some real stories to tell there as well Yeah, please please do and um Keep spreading the word mate. You're doing a cracking job Yeah, and I appreciate your time chris. Thanks for having me on mate. I appreciate it No worries stay on the line so I can thank you properly that just leaves me to say to everybody at home Massive love to you all Please look after yourselves if you could like and subscribe and click the notification bell. That will really help us um We'll see you next time