A SOLIHULL doctor has paddled from Birmingham to Manchester to raise funds for a brain tumour charity in memory of a university friend.
Dr Tim Molitor and his fellow doctor friend, 35-year-old GP Dr Danny Magona, from Northwich in Cheshire, completed the gruelling 115-mile five-day trip in aid of the Brain Tumour Research.
The duo were inspired to raise funds after their friend and fellow medic Aria Nikjooy died from a medulloblastoma tumour in February following a three year battle and several rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
The pair set off from the University of Birmingham Medical School, where the trio met, to Manchester, where Aria lived with his wife Naomi and their toddler, Eliyas and worked a paediatrician at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
They canoed up to 11 hours a day in temperatures as high as 30 degrees Celsius and paddled for a total of 47 hours before being handed a medal by Eliyas.
Tim, who works at University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire as an anaesthetist, said: “It feels amazing to have completed the challenge. The last five days have been physically and mentally exhausting. The canoe has taken a bit of a beating, through the 102 locks we’ve had to navigate.
“I feel proud of what we have achieved and it was certainly an emotional end to the trip, when we arrived at Deansgate to see Aria’s family waiting for us and cheering us over the finish line.”
So far they have raised £5,150 for the charity which funds research and calls on other cancer charities and the Government to invest more into brain tumours so a cure can be found.
Matthew Price, Brain Tumour Research’s community development manager, said: “Aria’s tragic story reminds us that brain tumours are indiscriminate; they can affect anyone, at any time.
“What’s more, unlike most other cancers, incidences of and deaths from brain tumours are rising. We cannot allow this devastating situation to continue.”
For more or to donate visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/canoeing-for-aria-nikjooy
