Munros 4 MND

Over the past 25 years, David and Judy Choat from Aberdeen have been ticking off the Munros throughout Scotland one by one, with the aim of joining the very elite group of mountaineers who have “bagged” all 282. After retiring in 2016 having completed the vast majority of the Munros, the prospect of finishing the list was becoming very real, however In 2017 David was diagnosed with Motor Neuron Disease.

The news sent shockwaves through the family and is something they are still coming to terms with. Currently there is no cure, nor any effective treatment. Watching anyone go through something like this is heartbreaking, but watching someone you love suffer daily, with no prospect of recovery is unbearable. On top of the physical pain is the prospect that so many of David and his wife, Judy’s plans for retirement will never be fulfilled.

At last count, the couple had completed a very impressive 267 of 282 Munros. This leaves 15 outstanding. Devastatingly, David is no longer able to complete these; and that’s where the family comes in. Their four children, Paul, Matt, Adam and Becky have decided to act as their Dad’s proxy to get them over the line. With David’s help on the planning front and Judy leading the kids up the mountains, and the rest of the family poised and ready to help out, they are determined to finish off the list, and in doing so, raise some much needed funding for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation to further the research into MND. You can follow their progress on their website www.munros4mnd.co.uk or on Twitter @Munros4MND and donate via www.justgiving.com/fundraising/munros4mnd

We wish them every success and looking forward to hearing about the Gilson Gray sponsored climb of An Stuc which is north of Loch Tay in July 2020.