Nick Lewin, Acro’s facilities technician, is undertaking a “great” running challenge this year, in memory of his eldest son, Tony.
On September 7th, Nick will be pounding the streets of Newcastle, taking part in the Great North Run – half marathon, and then on October 19th, he will head down to Portsmouth to run the 10 mile Great South Run.
Nick is throwing himself into these challenges to raise money for Asthma + Lung UK, a cause that is very close to Nick’s heart, as he explains:
“It all started with a phone call at 3.37am on Christmas Eve of 2018 to tell me my eldest son Tony had been found unresponsive at home. When I got there I was told he had passed away. He had died from an asthma attack.”
Grief-stricken by the sudden death of his beloved son, Nick carried on as well as he could to support his family and be strong for his wife. However, he was not dealing with the loss of Tony, and the stress and grief began to affect his health.
His wife and friend were concerned about him and suggested a holiday to Crete. On October 5th 2019, they flew to the Greek island, with Nick suffering what he thought was heartburn. But in the early hours of October 6th he suffered a heart attack. Three weeks of surgery and recuperation in hospital in Crete followed, but when he returned home, he vowed to make a change.
Nick said:
“When I got back to the UK, I decided to change my lifestyle. I started with Couch to 5k and then joined Slimming World and have lost nearly 3 stone in weight. I am fitter and healthier.
“I completed The Great North Run in 2023 and the London Landmarks Half Marathon twice, raising money for Asthma + Lung UK. And next year, in March, I am hoping to run the Bazas-Langon half marathon in France.”
Nick added: “I don’t think I am doing anything special. I’m just dealing with my grief by running in memory of my wonderful son Anthony Edward Lewin 18/07/1995-24/12/2018.”
If you would like to donate to Nick, please visit: https://join.aluk.org.uk/fundraisers-nicklewin
