After seeing the incredible dedication of Captain Tom it inspired me to get thinking about what I could do to help raise money for the NHS during this time.

So this got me thinking, mainly about how bad I am at pretty much anything sport related, baking, endurance ect. Plus not being able to go outside seemed somewhat of a problem! However there was one thing I could think of that I do enjoy doing but am by no means experienced in... hula hooping! So hey why not try and attempt to do it for 12 hours right?! .... I think it's official, I've lost the plot!! It must be the cabin fever setting in! 

Anyway running with my crazy idea I looked up the longest time a person has been able to hula hoop for and came across Jenny Doan, who broke the Guinness world record in 2019 for hula hooping for 100 hours! That’s pretty amazing!! Not only breaking a world record but raising money for a mental health charity. Whilst I most definitely don’t intend to break any records I will be following similar guidelines as set out by Guinness World Records. (see below)

Friends and family that know me will know how much of a struggle this will be for me in particular. I don't think they quite believed me when I came up with this idea! I have never been fond of exercise or challenging myself for that matter! 

The NHS is without a doubt massively important not only during this pandemic but always. 

Over 10 years ago they actually saved my life. I had a rare condition called ‘Wandering Spleen’, this is basically where my spleen had twisted and fallen down into the wrong place. This caused me agony over many months, with various doctors and nurses unable to work out why I was in so much pain. After having an MRI scan I was a little confused when the doctor asked, if my spleen had been removed, as he told me it didn’t look as though I had one! Anyway after a lot of confusion and tests they decided the best thing to do would be to operate. This was very scary at the time because they didn’t quite know what they were going to find during the operation, they were almost going in blind! I particularly remember at a young age being worried about having a big scar down the middle of my stomach. I spoke with doctors and even the surgeon himself came to reassure me that he would do his best to make it as neat as possible. Looking back this needn’t of been my biggest concern but I was young and it mattered at the time. 

I still have ongoing treatment now for another condition, as I now also have a mitral valve prolapse which is a heart condition that requires me to be monitored regularly by the cardiology department up at St Marys hospital. This was picked up a few years ago during an ECG. 

I am so grateful for everything the NHS and the incredible people working in it have done, not only for my life but also my family. Without them I certainly wouldn’t be here today and this is my way of giving back and saying thank you for all their hard work and dedication.

This challenge will hopefully be live streamed for 12 hours from 12pm-12am and will be taking place on the 30th May.

The rules...

1. The hoop must be revolved between the shoulders and hips. 
2. Rest breaks of 5 minutes per hour are allowed. Breaks can be accumulated (e.g. 4 completed hours allows a break of 20 minutes to be taken).
3. Whilst I will try my absolute hardest not to drop the hoop, I can't guarantee it won't happen. If it does I will be picking it back up and continuing.