“I knew I’d achieved the feat, and had done it with CF” – Andrew’s story

What was life like growing up with CF?

I’m Glasgow born and bred. I was diagnosed with CF when I was four years old, but had complications and issues since birth. Initially they thought it was asthma and then eventually they realised it could be CF. 

I spent time in and out of hospital on IVs as a child, mainly during primary school. It’s a time of my life that brings back certain sad memories. I remember getting cards from my classmates saying they hoped I’d get better and it makes me feel sad, thinking about how tough that was. When I was in hospital, I saw people with CF much worse off than me, so really, I was fortunate. 

Thankfully my health over the last decade has been more stable. I’ve not been in hospital and have been on the modulator therapies Kalydeco and Kaftrio. That’s helped a lot, and I love exercising which also keeps me healthy. I played football throughout my entire childhood and was part of running, badminton and swimming clubs alongside my medication and physio. I’ve probably tried every sport or activity you can think of at some point in my life. 

When I started university I got into going to the gym and doing weights and cardio - the gym is still something I love to this day! I still played football at the time and went on lots of walks for fresh air. Then when the pandemic hit, it was quite a stressful time, having to rely on food deliveries. The move to working from home helped a lot because I was able to not worry about being furloughed or having to go into the office and get sick.

What made you sign up for the London to Paris cycle?

I was quite nervous about the cycling challenge initially. I knew it would be the biggest challenge of my life. I work for Morgan Stanley and they were advertising an opportunity to join colleagues from across Europe and take part in their main fundraiser to cycle from their London office, to their Paris office. It was about 200 miles (or roughly 330 km) and we’d do it in less than two days.

I did a large portion of my training by myself but also joined the organised group rides around Glasgow and the West of Scotland. These were amazing and to see the West of Scotland scenery by bike is something I will never get bored of. All my training built my fitness to better than it has ever been. 

Some training days were really tough where I would never want to see the bike again, but mostly I loved it and used that grit and determination to spur myself on. Realising I could do longer and longer distances was great. It was good to see that my body was able to do that, and it really helped my confidence. 

How did it go?!

It's something I’ll remember for the rest of my life. The weather was horrific and the hills were formidable. The wind and rain were out in full force, and I got less than one hour of sleep on the overnight ferry.

My mum and dad came to London to see me ride out of the start and my sister (and her friend) came over to see me finish in Paris. The overriding emotion when we rode into Paris was incredible. I get goosebumps even thinking about it. When I got off the bike, I made sure to take a moment to realise what I had accomplished - this made me super proud and slightly emotional thinking about all the challenges during training and in life. I knew I’d achieved the feat, and had done it with CF. It’s an additional challenge but it certainly doesn’t hold me back. 

I also proved to myself that anything is possible if you push yourself. Whether it’s the first time doing a small task, or a huge physical endeavour.

In total, around 270 Morgan Stanley colleagues took part, we collectively raised over £400,000, and Morgan Stanley matched that too, so a total of over £800,000 going to charities all across Europe. I know this will make a huge difference for all the charities.

What’s next for you?

I’ve certainly caught the cycling bug again, and I am planning to do events next year. I love getting out into the fresh air and seeing the incredible scenery around me, it does wonders for my mental health. 

I follow people with CF on social media and they inspired me to do this challenge, so I’m hoping anyone reading my story will be inspired by me too. CF is an additional obstacle but it most definitely is not a barrier - if you focus your mind and push yourself, you can achieve anything!