"My Mauna Kea challenge was nothing compared to living with sight loss"

An avid cyclist has completed a mammoth challenge of cycling the height of the world’s tallest mountain, in memory of his late wife who spent decades living with a rare macular condition.

Gerard, 85, cycled a total height of 10,205 metres throughout October - the equivalent of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. He completed the challenge by riding 1,737 laps of his local streets in Whitehaven, Cumbria.

The epic cycle ride, which marked one year since his wife Margaret’s passing, saw Gerard out on his bike most days  cycling in her memory. Margaret had lived with Sorsby’s fundus dystrophy for 40 years.

Cycling feat "nothing compared to losing your sight"

Gerard’s motivation also stemmed from his own experience - having recently been diagnosed with dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

“I was always undeterred about taking on this challenge, not just because I love cycling, but because it was nothing compared to losing your sight and the wider struggles that comes with that,” he said.

“My wife, Margaret, had her genetic eye disorder so my motivation for doing this particular challenge was to bring more awareness about the condition and the need for research around it. Particularly with Sorsby fundus dystrophy, if research can find a way to correct the faulty gene, then that’s the goal I’d like to aim for.”

He completed the last few metres up the hill to the local primary school, where children cheered Gerard over the finish line.

He said: “It was quite a relief to cross the line in the end, as it’s a question of mind over matter at times out there. But I knew what I needed to do and I enjoyed doing it.

“We used the hill up to the school to finish the challenge and the children were already getting lined up and it was absolutely amazing. The noise and the cheering and the shouting and the flag waving. It was great, just a very nice way to bring it altogether."

How Sorsby's fundus dystrophy affected Margaret

Talking about how Margaret coped with her life-changing diagnosis, he said: “I remember she was blessed with the hand/eye coordination of a typist and piano player but in the end I saw my wife  forced to stop doing a job she loved, in the accounts team with Smith Brothers in Hensingham.

“Her aunt had sight loss too. She would cook Christmas dinner for about 16 people and everything would be perfect. So, for Margaret, it was that resilience from her family that kept her going. She had an attitude of ‘if they could do it, I can do it.’

“Even when she started losing her sight, we still went fell walking, which was something we loved to do and we visited places like the Athabasca Glacier and Mount Vesuvius. It was just a question of managing and helping her to make sure she didn’t trip or slip, so having the condition didn't restrict her.”

Gerard is taking inspiration from his wife’s positive outlook as he deals with his own diagnosis.

He said: “For me, and it was the same with Margaret, you have to keep going with your life. She didn't complain or criticise or blame anybody. It happened and you just have to try to get on with it.”.