MAN v FAT member Sam Fleming is set to take on the Portsmouth Coastal Marathon to raise funds for Sepsis UK as he looks to raise crucial funds in memory of a family member who passed away from the condition twelve months ago.
Sam, who has lost over 20% of his body weight with MAN v FAT Havant, has endured a tough time personally in the last two years, but is channelling his energies into creating something positive from that difficult situation.
The 38-year-old’s time with the MAN v FAT programme was initially triggered when his step father-in-law passed away in October 2022, following a stroke – and the weight loss he has achieved since then has now put him in a position to take on the Portsmouth Coastal Marathon in December in memory of his sister-in-law, who sadly passed away in December 2023.
Sam explained: “After my step father-in-law passed away, I realised that as an overweight drinker who did next to no exercise, I was satisfying three of the criteria and I really ought to look to do something.
“While looking at the Football365 website, I saw an article for MAN v FAT Football and thought that was something worth trying. I signed up in January 2023 and was lucky enough to be placed in a team with a few other players with a similar thought process and we all lost weight together. We won the league and traded the biggest losers and top scorer medals between us.
“At the same time I started Couch to 5k which helped me to lose weight, but I had completed this before and knew that I needed to find a goal for after I completed it, to avoid going back to my old exercise routine. I committed to a sponsored swim in memory of my step father-in-law in October 2023 and raised £1260 for Different Strokes, a stroke charity. I also signed up to do the 2024 Great South Run and got my 20% weight loss award at MAN v FAT in December 2023.”
Sam achieved his weight loss with the support of his MAN v FAT teammates and against a continuing difficult time personally.
His sister-in-law was facing a battle with Colitis and Proctitis. She had got married in July 2022, in a wedding postponed multiple times because of Covid. Amy’s health deteriorated seriously during 2023 and she was admitted to hospital in early December 2023 as she was now suffering from Sepsis. She never left hospital and passed away on Christmas Eve.
Sam continued: “In January 2024, I knew that the Great South Run was going to be achievable for me and knew I would need another goal for the year and so I signed up for the Portsmouth Coastal Marathon, knowing that it was to take place on 22nd December and I could fundraise in my sister-in-law’s memory.
“In June 2024 my step father was diagnosed with a brain tumour, and despite surgery he sadly passed away this month. To say the last two and a half years have been tough would be an understatement, to try and explain to my two children why their relatives keep dying at a relatively young age is something that I never thought I would have to do.
“I’ve had tons of support from family, colleagues and friends but without the running goal, the outlet that MAN v FAT has given me, I’m pretty sure I would be back to eating and doing nothing.
“The fundraiser is not just about raising money for Sepsis UK, it’s also about making sure people know the symptoms of Sepsis, to hopefully prevent this happening to another family.”
You can contribute to Sam’s fundraising by visiting his Justgiving page. Everyone at MAN v FAT wishes him well with his fundraising.
