THE FAMILY and friends of an Essex firefighter who was left fighting for his life after a neck hold went wrong during a martial arts class are canoeing from Liverpool to Chelmsford to raise money for his rehab.
Matt Rodrigues Dos Santos, 28, will be canoeing 250 miles with four friends next month to raise funds for his brother Mark, who suffered two strokes, a cardiac arrest and pneumonia after collapsing in the training session he was teaching in Maldon in April last year.
Mark, 38, who has worked at Brentwood fire station for over a decade and was Blue Watch's fitness instructor, also had two brain operations, survived cardiac arrest and endured months of rehab to learn to walk and talk again.
But last week he finally returned to his family home in Great Totham and he is now learning to be independent again.
He needs occasional assistance with washing and changing into his clothes, as he is still regaining his physical co-ordination.
Mark's friends and family are looking to raise money to help pay for his rehabilitation by canoeing from Liverpool, where Mark grew up, before finishing in the centre of Chelmsford.
The rowing event, which will start on August 11, is expected to last around six days and cover 255 miles along 150 canals.
Matt, a 28-year-old worker at Chelmsford's Phones 4u who lives in Great Totham, said: "It's called 'The Hard Way' – if my brother could have done it, he would have said 'Let's do something different rather than a marathon'.
"The first thing people think is that he cannot speak but he can – it is the physical side that he cannot do. He was the fitness instructor for the fire brigade, he had made the fitness programme – not being able to be independent was hard for him."
Matt hopes that the money raised will also be used to aid his brother, whose hobbies include Brazilian jujitsu, snooker and football, on the road to recovery in other ways rather than care.
"In the house at the moment there is a garage building that we are looking into converting into a small gym, so that Mark can be more independent," Matt said.
Two people will be in the canoe paddling, while another two will drive to the next destination where they will switch places, whilst a fifth person will be on standby should anything happen.
Along with Matt, the people taking part are: Chris Donoghue, Alan and Paul Trees, and Kieran England.
Dave Shepherd, a firefighter on Blue Watch at Brentwood and a colleague of Mark's, said: "It sounds fantastic.
"Mark is just an all-round great bloke – he's still got that spark and a sense of humour despite what's happened."
The paddles will hit the water on Sunday, August 11 in Ellesmere Port and finish on Friday, August 16 in Chelmsford.
To donate or to find out more, search on Facebook for "Thehardway2013".
