Surrey man, 36, is first with a pacemaker to take on World’s Toughest Row
Elliot Awin said he hopes to show people that ‘you can still do stuff’ after having a pacemaker fitted.
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Your support makes all the difference.A man from Surrey who is the first person to take on the World’s Toughest Row with a pacemaker said he hopes to show people that being diagnosed as he was is “not the end of the world”.
Elliot Awin, 36, a wine importer from Dorking in Surrey, set about crossing the Atlantic as part of the World’s Toughest Row in December in his boat, aptly named Pacemaker.
Mr Awin, formerly an avid rugby player, was forced to quit the sport around nine years ago when he was diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation, taking up CrossFit and then rowing instead.
Years in and out of hospital culminated in Mr Awin having a pacemaker fitted in February 2020, but that has not prevented him from staying active, setting off on a 3,000-mile row from San Sebastian de La Gomera, Spain to Nelson’s Dockyard, Antigua, for charity.
“Whether I’m the first or not (to take on the challenge with a pacemaker) I’d like to be the first to publicise that I did, such that people go out there and get checked and are not scared to have their pacemaker fitted,” he told the PA news agency.
“You can still do stuff… you can still row an ocean with a pacemaker.
“The pacemaker for me was a bit of closure rather than more trepidation. For me, I was hoping it would solve all my problems, and be a silver bullet, and at the moment – touch wood – it has been something that has prevented any further issues, which is fantastic.”
Following his experiences with his own heart health, Mr Awin set up a charity called Wave Wrangler “a platform for anyone living with an arrhythmia to share stories and experiences” as well as to raise money.
One of the charity’s aims is to provide defibrillators to underfunded sports centres and communities, while some of the money raised during Mr Awin’s Atlantic challenge will go to the British Heart Foundation.
The 36-year-old’s row got off to a quick start, with the weather helping him travel 85 nautical miles a day, leading him to think he may finish before his birthday on January 22.
However, having slowed down, Mr Awin said he believed he would finish towards the end of January.
Spending Christmas at sea, he said he had “never felt less lonely because of the amount of support” but has faced challenges along the way.
An incident that saw his towels go overboard while they were drying left Mr Awin without any for a number of weeks – combined with a wet cabin, he was forced to sleep in the damp for a period.
Meanwhile, he said “everything takes me about half an hour because I’m a bit forgetful” adding “the orderliness of the boat is something I’ve struggled with”.
Having raised more than £140,000 already, however, his struggles look to have been rewarded.
“As a 27-year-old, you think you’re invincible, you think nothing’s going to happen,” said Mr Awin.
“I woke up in the middle of the night with a heartbeat of 220 beats per minute, but still went to work the next day. The number of times I had an episode whilst playing rugby but then rung NHS Direct because I was scared to ring 999.
“Eventually NHS Direct ring the ambulance for you and you’re in an ambulance and they’re saying ‘this is what the ambulance is for. Don’t be too proud to call an ambulance if you’re having heart issues.’
“Go and get yourself checked, and it’s not the end of the world if you do get diagnosed with something, because the technology, the research, the doctors out there are so incredible.”
Samantha Wilkins, fundraising manager for the British Heart Foundation, said: “Elliot is taking on an incredible challenge, and we have nothing but admiration for the extraordinary effort he’s putting in to raise money on our behalf.
“The BHF’s research has helped understand the electrical pathways in the heart and kickstart the development of pacemaker technology. The money Elliot is raising will help us continue this work and give people with heart rhythm disorders the best chance of living longer, healthier lives.”
To find out more about Mr Awin’s fundraising, visit www.justgiving.com/campaign/wavewranglerTWAC2023.