Love,

Dan.

Tomorrow night is Fight Night.

18 total ameteurs have dedicated 3 months of their spare time to my cause. 5 sessions per week in the ring with Lee and Ali, as well as running and fitness.

They’re going to have to put into practice what they’ve learnt , in the ring in front of not only over a thousand people, including their friends and families, but in front of professional boxers, AND Sky TV cameras, knowing that it’ll be broadcast soon.

We know that there’ll be Johnny Nelson there, but suspect that Richy Woodhall may be, and possibly even the man of the moment in British boxing, George Groves.

Commentary will be provided by Adam Smith and also by Adrian Chiles, a real coup for the event.

All I have to do is sit there and witness the efforts and contributions of so many incredible people who’ve rallied around me since I braked too hard on a lonely french hillside and shot over the handlebars.

It would seem that my fight back firstly to life and hopefully to more than that in the future, has moved a lot of people to reassess their lives, and what’s important , and perhaps not to waste the time they have here on this planet.

Make no mistake , every one of those boxers is there to win on the night, but they’re all there for a lot more than that – to help other people ( including me ) who’ve had the most basic of human capabilities cruelly snatched away.

Thank you so much.

…to Vee, for her lovely letter.

Ladies ( and cross dressers ),

At Fight Night, due to the nature of the sports arena floor…

NO STILETTO’s!! ( please!)

If you turn up in pointy heels, you’ll be asked to take them off, which you might not like… So best to avoid that situation and wear something else!

Thanks so much.

Russ

I learnt yesterday that if you have a heart attack outside of a hospital then your chances of living to tell the tale are a frighteningly low 3%.

Surprisingly, the odds of survival if you suffer a cardiac arrest whilst IN hospital are scarcely higher.

I had had a heart attack during surgery in Toulon. It took 25 minutes to restart  my heart, I heard from Dani yesterday.

I’m not really sure what to think, other than to be proud of my innate survival instinct.

To call myself lucky would be wrong, as the chances of severing your spinal column are tiny, making me incredibly unlucky.

Thats all I can write.

That’s it fight fans, all tickets have gone and a few more besides, so if you haven’t paid or spoken to me and sworn that you will, no ticket!  I have taken most of the left-hand side of the dome, so the atmosphere will be terrific.  There will be a Table Plan on the night but I don’t expect it to last more than 2 minutes, so don’t worry too much where you are sitting – you will have to stand to see the fights anyway.  Don’t forget that Richard Johnson’s Street Food will be outside, so no need to eat beforehand.  Although some credit card machines will be available, I’d bring some cash if I were you, to ensure a speedier service.

It is a very casual event, so no need to dress up and, in particular, can Ladies not wear stilettos as they will either damage the tennis courts or they may go arse over tit.  Also, in one of my previous fights I got twatted over the head with one, requiring a few stitches.  Although I don’t expect that to happen on Saturday, you never know, better safe than sorry?

Let’s make it a raucous night for the Russ Boy!!

Dan

So I’ve tried skiing, and now Kayaking.

I was pretty decent at both these things before, so was keen to see if I could do either.

Of the two, its obvious already that to ‘compete’ against people with legs sit skiing is the way forward. I can’t see currently that it’s that possible to get the power into the paddle stroke without core muscles, whereas in the ski it matters a lot less.

Roll on my next attempt at skiing then- who knows when..

Ah the perils of being in a wheelchair . Last week, with Cherie, I attempted a push down to the river and back ( a few hundred yards ). It was really not easy, and I almost tipped out twice.

On the way back, I got both my front wheels stuck in the rail tracks of the level crossing in my street.

A rail worker rushed to my aid.

Just think if I’d been alone. The trains come pretty regularly.