Moray man's thank-you to medics
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James Wilson is aiming to give something back to the surgeons who probably saved his life.
The 56-year-old from Lossiemouth is setting off this morning from the town's marina to ride to Aberdeen on a penny farthing
James faced a stark choice back in 1998.
He had been repeatedly suffering from blackouts – falling unconscious at home, at work and even in the street.
And nobody was quite sure why.
Eight weeks under medical observation revealed the answer – he had a cyst inside his skull.
James had two options.
The first involved surgery on his brain.
But that risked him losing two of his five senses – be that sight, touch, taste, smell or hearing.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, James opted for the second option which was to take medication.
This helped to reduce the number of his blackouts, but they would still happened from time to time.
However, advances in neurology over the next decade meant that, in 2009, when he was again offered the choice of brain surgery the risks had fallen massively.
Now, he faced either developing either a speech inpediment or losing some vision in his right eye.
But both of these issues would only be temporary.
James decided to let them operate.
Fingers crossed, he's been fine ever since.
Now, on Monday morning, he's setting off from his hometown in a bid to raise cash for neurological research.
James, who works at Baxters and volunteers at the Lossiemouth Marina, said: "I've worn the shoes, as they say.
"I know first-hand how our understanding of the brain has increased over the years.
"But there is still so much which is yet to be discovered.
"I want to raise as much money as possible so that the research can continue."
James began riding a penny farthing last year while doing a charity bike ride in memory of a friend who passed away from a brain-related issue.
During the ride he bumped into Neil Jeronim, a long-time penny farthing rider from from Forres.
James will steer along the back roads to Aberdeen on a penny farthing made for him by Neil.
He aims to reach Whitehills this evening.
Following a further overnight stopover in Inverurie, its his intention to reach Aberdeen sometime on Wednesday.
He said: "In some ways it's actually easier riding a penny farthing than it is a bike.
"For starters, you can see a lot further."
To offer your support go to the JustGiving website and type in 'James Wilson 141'.
