Summer 2004

I’m Bob Bailey from Folkestone, Kent. I am a retired ambulance technician with 28 years service and I will be 65 in July. I am doing a Rowathon of 1,000,000 (million) metres on a Concept rowing machine. This will take about 4-5 months to complete. I do this on a daily basis of 10,000 metres a day at Folkestone Fitness Centre. All this is being done in the memory of my nephew, Damian Kosten, pictured right with his fiancée, Laura.

Damian was a normal, happy young man who had along with his fiancée Laura, a bright future. He was taken ill last August, admitted to Southampton general hospital and after several weeks transferred to Harefield hospital. By then he was a very sick boy and had a series of operations including the fitting of a Jarvick heart pump. He was in intensive care most of the time he spent in Harefield. Following one of many infections his condition worsened and with his grandmother and great grandmother at his bedside he passed away on April 2nd, aged 23. As you can imagine his whole family and fiancée Laura are totally devastated by his passing.

I would like to think that any money that I can generate for CRY may help prevent another tragedy, another young life lost.

Many thanks, Bob.

Bob has had his own online fundraising page set up in memory of Damian set up by CRY. To donate please visit the 1,000,000 metre Rowathon site