Lincolnshire Provincial Fit Club inspires Roy to weight loss and charity fund raising
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Four days after joining the Province’s Fit Club, Hundred of Elloe Lodge Almoner Roy Mead saw that his daughter Lisa had shared news of her cancer and its treatment on Facebook. Both things spurred him on to raise money to fight cancer, and to shed some extra ‘lockdown pounds’. He tells his story here…
“On Sunday 31st January, the Lincolnshire Provincial Fit Club was launched with 20 Lincolnshire Freemasons attending its first Zoom meeting. The main idea behind the club was to reduce those extra inches gained during the lockdown and to be ready and fit for our return to Freemasonry as we know it.
Roy Mead
“The club’s Bi-weekly Zoom meetings and the WhatsApp group messages of encouragement were what I needed to concentrate my mind on being a bit fitter.
Added to this, on World Cancer Day – 4th February – there was a message on Facebook from one of our very brave 52-year-old twin daughters, Lisa wrote: “To be honest I was always ignorant to all these different awareness days that you see on Facebook/Social Media. I would read them, like them and that was it. Well, World Cancer Day is different for me. Six months ago, in August 2020, I was unexpectedly told I have stage 4 Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma. That’s kidney cancer that has metastasised into my Inferior Vena Cava vein and my lungs.
“I received seven and a half hours of surgery at Kings College London to remove the kidney and tumour, and replace 16 inches of my IVC vein for which I am eternally thankful.
“There is no cure but, there are lots of different treatments and therapies that hopefully will be able to manage it. So, I am sending all my love and thoughts to everyone who is or who has been through this devastating disease. XX”
“After keeping her illness relatively quiet for five months, sharing thew news only within the family and close friends circle, I was amazed on reading this brave Facebook message. At that stage I decided to put all my efforts in to creating a Facebook Donation page for Cancer Research UK.
“My target was to lose 35lbs by the end of April this year and to raise £2,000 for Cancer Research UK. At our Zoom meeting on Sunday 21st March, I was able to say that I have lost 18.75lbs in seven weeks.
“I was also able to share with the group that I have already exceeded my Cancer Research UK target by £5, a staggering £2,005 has been given. This could not have been achieved without the very generous donations of our friends, family, and some Brothers, of which I thank them all for their support.
“My lockdown message is this: Without the help of the Lincolnshire Provincial Fit Club members, I doubt very much that I could have changed my own lifestyle or mindset on dieting and keep on track to my target weight. Working as a team has helped me to keep focused on my diet and in turn allowed me to offer a small contribution to those who suffer from this awful disease. Together we will beat cancer.”
To add your own contribution to Roy’s fundraising efforts, visit: https://www.facebook.com/donate/1745381695634314/
