My #657Drumathon was about compassion, resilience and defiance, all served up with a burger and a good few bottles of wine as my friends assembled to witness. My snare drum was recovered from my parents loft only weeks before as I’d given up drumming even though it was a teenage passion of mine.

I was diagnosed with an adult onset Muscular Dystrophy when I was in my late 20s and, 13 years on, am now experiencing significant changes in my arm and leg functions.

A drum roll was then my only real chance of making an impact with the sticks. The world record was out of sight at more than 12 hrs but I thought 65mins 7secs was just about reachable. I bought a practice pad and started woodshedding (intensive practice in private). Once I went public, the expressions of support and sponsorship from friends and family was amazing. I wanted to raise £657.00, but doubled that after a couple of weeks and at the last count have reached over £1400.00.

…One hour passed almost without remarking, all the really fast songs were behind me and the drum head was still responding well, keeping the open roll flowing. It was the final countdown – from the support team, not the 80s hair ballad from Europe – that proved to be the hardest.

With a minute to go I was trying to roll to This Is a Low by Blur and a second by second countdown with a different time signature! I had planned and practiced a switch to a double stroke roll to finish but, running out of puff, was elated and content with just a flam and the cheers and roars that followed.

Taking the cheers and congratulations, I was enormously satisfied with my work and realised quite how much I needed to get the, by now stifling, Gorilla Mask off and swig on a deserved bottle of beer.

The above excerpt is from a blog written by Muscle Warrior ‘Jez’