Well, what can I say. I have 10 days until I reach my 40th birthday. It’s sort of come up on me out of nowhere due to being so busy with work, challenges, moving house and other personal bits.
But, I’ve completed 38 challenges! My God, it has been hard work. When I decided to do it back in November/ December 2013, and started to set it up, I didn’t for one moment think about how hard it might be. I just thought that it was a great way to raise money and awareness and that it would be fun at the same time. Hahahah. I most definitely have to thank Nick for getting me to drop some of the ones that would have been nearly impossible (like visiting 40 national trust properties in the year…hmmm, 1 a week practically!) and the ones that might have made me ill like staying awake for 40 hours.
However, whilst it has been hard work and has pretty much taken over my life, especially in the last 6 months, I am so proud of what I am so close to achieving, and I did actually have some real fun along the way too!
I think out of those challenges remaining, I might actually finish 5 more. I hope that I’ll have read 40 books, a lovely friend has sent me beads to thread with Rebecca when I get 5 minutes, I expect to write 40 blog posts by the 25th (even if I bore you in the process), it’s very possible I might get 40 cards, and I am DEFINITELY having a party for 40 people to celebrate my 40th! So I could get up to 43 B4 40….doesn’t sound quite so catchy though ;-) So where am I up to at the moment; well here you go!
Completed Challenges:
These are the challenges that are now complete;
1. Find 40 people to do one challenge each in aid of Myeloma UK – Achieved (www.justgiving/teams/40b440)
2. Climb 40 floors in a building – Achieved
3. Give up drinking alcohol, and eating crisps and nuts for 40 days – Achieved
5. Run 40km in 4 days. Achieved
6. Do a pub crawl round 40 pubs in 40 hours – Achieved
7. Eat 40 brussel sprouts in 4 minutes – Achieved
8. Get 40 friends to be sponsored to give up something for the 40 days of Lent (or equivalent).www.justgiving.com/teams/lent – Achieved
9. Tell 40 people who don’t know anything about myeloma, what it is. Achieved
10. Get ingredients donated to make 40 cakes/ 40 cakes donated and sell them at a cake sale Achieved
11. Persuade 40 businesses to donate a minimum of £40 each. Achieved BUT If you or anyone you know might donate, I am happy to do facebook and twitter shout outs and it would be great to keep the money coming in -)
12. Sell 40 roses in aid of Myeloma UK – Achieved
13. Do 40 lots of 20 second planks in one day (or the equivalent)!
14. Eat 40 types of fruit – Achieved
15. Iron 40 items of clothing in 40 minutes – Achieved
16. Try 40 different bottles of wine. – Achieved
17. Buy a complete outfit for £40 – Achieved
20. Get 40 shots through the net of a netball post in 4 minutes. Achieved
21. Get people to make 40 Myeloma Buddies Achieved
22. Get the revised Myeloma Diagnosis Pathway taken to 40 different GP’s/ health professionals. Achieved. This has kindly been taken to over 45 different practices, but it is a CRUCIAL challenge and it would be great to double the initial challenge. If you can take it to your GP, please let me know and I can email you the pathway and a letter to go with it to make it easier!
24. Get a group of people (40 if possible) to do a total of 10,000 taekwondo kicks in one day Achieved
27. Get 40 famous people to tweet/retweet about my challenge. Achieved
28. Make £40 at a car boot sale. Achieved
30. Learn to knit and knit 40 rows (minimum!) Achieved
32. Stay in bed for 40 hours – Achieved
33. A sponsored silence for 40 hours – Achieved
34. Make 40 cups of tea in a day – Achieved
35. Visit a zoo and see 40 animals – Achieved
36. Make and sell 40 greetings cards. Achieved
38. Get 40 people to conga through West Wycombe Park – Achieved
39. Get 40 signatures from Famous People – Achieved
40. Receive letters from people from 40 different countries. Achieved
41. Sell 40 Myeloma UK trolley keyrings – Achieved
42. Try 40 different types of cheeses – Achieved
44. Play 40 consecutive games of cards – Achieved
46. Travel at least 40m down a zip wire Achieved (160m!)
47. Pull 40 pints – Achieved
48. Get 40 prizes for a raffle (if possible non-location specific please) Achieved
49. Get 40 people to donate money to Myeloma UK instead of giving Christmas cards – Achieved
OUTSTANDING CHALLENGES:
Ok, so the last 2 challenges need to come from the list below. Most of these have now been abandoned and I’m not sure I can ask anyone for more help apart from the Birthday card challenge.
4. Read 40 books – Hoping to be finished by the 25th January
18. Swim 40 lengths – Abandoned due to lack of time
19. Write 40 entries into my blog – to be finished by the 25th
23. Play 40 different sports – this one has been abandoned!
25. Have a party for at least 40 people – this is taking place in January
26. Get 40 people born on the same day (January 25th) to send me a 40th birthday card!!! This one is doing better than I thought due to amazing support on facebook and twitter. I have about 12 at my house already and a number more promised. So if you can help or can persuade facebook or other friends to help, please do!! I even got a donation in one of them which was unexpected!
29. Look after a dog for 40 hours Abandoned due to lack of time – will just have to get a full-time dog now! lol. Thanks to all of you who offered to loan us and sorry I never got round to taking you up on the offer.
31. Stay awake for 40 hours – Abandoned as Nick doesn’t want me ill!
37. Drive 40 different cars – Abandoned due to lack of time
43.String a necklace with 40 beads/ stones.
45. Ride for 40 minutes on a horse – Abandoned but thanks to Clare McCaffrey for being prepared to risk her horse with me!
50. Get 40 people to sign up to the Myeloma UK sponsored events -(www.justgiving.com/teams/retailwalk) This won’t be achieved, but I would love more people to sign up to their events and raise more money. If, in any way, I have inspired you, please, please think about supporting Myeloma UK by doing an event for them. Every penny helps!
If you would like to sponsor me with my #40ChallengesB440, to support Myeloma UK and help make myeloma history, please either
go to http://www.justgiving.com/Deb-Gascoyne
or
text ‘DEBG99 £X’ to 70070
e.g ‘DEBG99 £40′ if you want to donate £40
