Gavin Connor is known around Kent Sport for his larger than life personality and his ability to push people just the right way to help them succeed in their fitness journey.

But few know that Gavin had a traumatic time last year when his son was diagnosed with craniosynostosis, a condition in which a child’s skull fuses too early, causing problems with growth.

Gavin’s son Orion was taken to the Oxford Children’s Hospital where he underwent major surgery, spending more than a week recovering. Luckily, it was a massive success and Orion is thriving beautifully since having the corrective surgery.

Not wanting to stay far from their son, Gavin and his wife reached out to the Ronald McDonald House which ensured the family had a place to stay nearby without having to travel three hours back and forth during the ordeal.

Gavin was touched by the generosity of the charity and wanted to give back to them to make it possible for other families to receive the same treatment when their children may have to go through something similar.

During the end of August, Gavin took part in the South Coast Challenge attempting to walk 100km along the coastline. It was an arduous 18 hour task, but he powered through from 8.20am Sunday morning to just after 2.30am Monday morning. He stopped at the 85km checkpoint and was told that blisters were peppering his feet and encouraged not to go any further. Gavin was absolutely gutted he couldn’t complete the journey, but his family was beyond proud of his accomplishments.

Although finished with the 2019 challenge, Gavin is determined to do it again next year in hopes to complete the experience with all 100km.

If you would like to learn more about Gavin’s experience with the Ronald McDonald House or to donate to his cause, please visit his JustGiving page. 

If you’re interested in upping your fitness game to take on a similar challenge, Kent Sport provides various fitness programs to help you achieve just that.

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