Gate incident at Port Vale football club helps man shed 17 stone
Talking to BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester, he described how, two or three years ago, his weight escalated from a "tubby but not unhealthy" 14 stone to about 29 stone.He said he had been living with his parents before he lost them, which ended up with "my depression spiralling, my weight gaining, and health rapidly deteriorating".The catalyst came on the day he got stuck in the turnstile at Port Vale, he said, describing it as "a powerful, humiliating sort of milestone".
Mr Duffield, who lives in Kidderminster, described his next steps as "nothing unremarkable".Tracking his eating required a brutal honesty, and he shocked himself with his food intake, he said.Giving up alcohol helped in two ways - by giving him some control and mental clarity.In the second month, he started walking and, because he weighed nearly 30 stone, his weight added to the exercise, even if he just walked to the end of the street and back.
"By month three, I started walking further and further, getting up a bit earlier and noticing the world around me again," he said. "It started to open up."Simple things like the birds singing, the sunrise and all that kind of thing, I thought I can be part of this world again."
In his first month, he walked six miles but now he is able to walk 25 miles in a day.He said he had been given an opportunity at life again and was now using his fitness to raise money for Acorns Children's Hospice, after they helped his niece who has a life-limiting genetic disorder and requires permanent care.Mr Duffield added that the hospice had been a lifeline for his family.He is now hiking along canals, nature reserves and trails in the West Midlands in a 1,880 mile fundraising challenge – the same distance from Worcester, where the hospice is, to Morocco, the start of the Sahara Desert which he will visit to raise more money later in the year.He has so far completed 1,200 miles."The fact is if you do things simply and you do things often and you win each day, then all these things mount up," he said. "You've just got to take your time and be patient and trust in the results."
Follow BBC Hereford & Worcester on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
3 days ago
- The Independent
Dad's warning after smell of bleach led to devastating tumour diagnosis
An unusual symptom – the overwhelming smell of bleach – led to a devastating diagnosis for a father-of-two, who is now urging others in similar positions to "hold on to hope and positivity in whatever way you can". Sam Suriakumar, 40, who lives in Worcester Park, south London, with his wife, Sindhu, 39, and their two daughters, Avaana, 10, and Arya, eight. While in his bathroom, the sudden scent of a cleaning agent "almost filled up (his) mouth", leaving him feeling dizzy. Initially dismissing the smell as if his wife had recently cleaned, the self-employed recruitment consultant and musician, an avid gym-goer, experienced the strong smell and dizziness again during a workout the following day. On his journey home, Mr Suriakumar suffered a "massive grand mal seizure" on the London Underground, so severe it dislocated his shoulder. He was rushed to hospital for tests, where a "large shadow" was discovered on the left side of his brain. Mr Suriakumar was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumour on 4 February, 2020. While the mass was stable for around two years, Sam was informed it had grown towards the front of his brain in 2023, which 'knocked (him) off (his) feet'. As the tumour sits on the areas responsible for his speech, memories and movement, making it near-impossible to operate, Sam underwent 30 sessions of radiotherapy and nine months of chemotherapy treatment to try to suppress its growth – and he is now in a monitoring phase, receiving scans every six months. Sam celebrated his 40th birthday on July 26, a milestone he did not think he would reach, and he has tried to turn his situation into 'something positive' with the aim of providing encouragement and inspiration to others. 'I'm trying to use my experience to inspire people and turn this into something positive, rather than letting it define me as this poor guy with a sad story,' Sam told PA Real Life. 'I want to provide encouragement and inspiration to others, in that we can fight and we don't have to let it define us. 'Hold on to hope and positivity in whatever way you can.' The day before his diagnosis on February 3 2020, Sam was at home in his bathroom when he started to smell bleach – but he assumed his wife had recently cleaned. 'The smell of ammonia, bleach or some sort of cleaning agent was almost filling up my mouth, it was really strong,' he recalled. 'I felt like I needed to lean against the wall and use the radiator to stand, I felt very strange.' Not thinking too much of it, Sam carried out his usual activities the following day, where he had a gym session in the morning. While lifting a heavy weight, he said 'the cleaning agent smell just all of a sudden hit me, it completely enclosed everything', and he felt 'very dizzy'. Later that day on his commute home from work, Sam recalled feeling 'drained of energy' while sitting on the Northern line of the London Underground. 'I closed my eyes and it felt like half an hour went by, but we had only moved one stop,' he said. Sam said he closed his eyes once more and he does not remember the following 48 hours, waking up again in hospital. Recalled to him by paramedics, station staff and those treating him at St George's Hospital in Tooting, Sam had suffered with a 'massive grand mal seizure' while on the Tube. 'I'd seized up so bad that I dislocated my shoulder,' he said. Sam was rushed to hospital, having two more seizures in the ambulance, before a series of tests were conducted – such as CT scans, MRI scans and a lumbar puncture. He said one of his CT scans showed 'quite a large shadow' across the left side of his brain. Sam's 'world spiralled out of control' when he was informed he had a brain tumour, a suspected low grade glioma, on February 4 2020. 'My mind went straight to my girls, who were only three and five at the time,' Sam said. 'All of a sudden, your priorities become very clear.' The tumour would be difficult to operate on, Sam said, as it covers the parts of his brain responsible for speech, movement and memories. Sam added he was in the 'best shape' of his life at the time, and his neurosurgeon, who he has since formed a 'great relationship' with, suggested they start by tackling his symptoms, the seizures, rather than attack the tumour itself. 'It was a case of not wanting to poke the bear,' Sam said. His tumour was monitored in regular scans for two years where it appeared to be in a stable state, and he had not suffered with any more seizures. He was advised to keep himself in a positive and hopeful mindset and to build a strong support system around him. During this time, Sam tackled the 2023 London Marathon to raise money for Brain Tumour Research, and he has taken on other fundraising activities to raise around £60,000 for charity to date. In a bid to raise awareness, he also became a supporter ambassador for Brain Tumour Research in 2023, which has taken him into public speaking to share his journey. However, while in Brazil in July 2023 for a wedding, Sam received a sobering call from his neurosurgeon to say a recent scan had shown 'a new area of growth' on his tumour, and it was now time to use further treatment measures. 'It knocked me off my feet,' Sam said. He underwent a biopsy on his tumour in August 2023 – where it was officially diagnosed as a diffuse oligodendroglioma, a type of glioma which is often benign, but some can be cancerous. Two weeks later, he started 30 sessions of radiotherapy at the the Royal Marsden Hospital. This was followed by nine months of chemotherapy treatment, which Sam completed in September 2024. Determined to keep pushing himself, Sam completed the HYROX indoor fitness competition in Belgium just six months after he finished treatment – tackling eight kilometres of running and eight functional workout exercises. His tumour is now in a monitoring phase, and Sam will have scans every six months to better understand the impacts of the treatment. He said he is now 'sitting on the fence' between his tumour being low grade and benign or high grade and cancerous, saying the aim is to keep it 'suppressed as much as possible'. Sam celebrated his 40th birthday on July 26, a milestone he did not expect to reach. 'Brain tumours are the biggest killers of children and adults before the age of 40, so it was a big deal for me,' he said. For others in his situation, Sam said he would send them a 'massive hug'. 'Your brain talks to every single part of your body and it's so important to have a positive mindset,' he said. 'It's not going to come every single day, but try to find those things that inspire and encourage you to help you move forward.'
The National
26-07-2025
- The National
Glasgow care home fined after resident found dead in car park
77-year-old Hugh Kearnis was a resident at Chester Park home in Kinning Park, Glasgow, and left the building through a fire escape during the early hours of Boxing Day 2022. According to BBC reports, his body was discovered in the car park six hours later despite staff falsely claiming to have checked on him throughout the night. READ MORE: Man charged after death of Scottish mother more than 30 years ago Owners of the home, Oakminister Healthcare Limited, have now plead guilty to a breach of health and safety and were handed a fine of £53,750. Glasgow Sheriff Court heard that, based on the nature of the guilty plea, the company was not found to have caused Mr Kearin's death. The admission of guilt related to a failure to ensure there was a system in place to confirm the internal fire alarm door was operational. It was stated in court that the company will pay the imposed fine over the next six months. Sheriff Joan Kerr said: "I wish to make it clear that the court recognises that the fine cannot compensate and no fine can be adequate "The court sends its sincere condolences for his loss." The court was told that Mr Kearins had dementia and was considered at risk of "absconding or wandering." A care plan had been implemented requiring staff to check on Mr Kearins every hour. Prosecutor Blair Speed said: "A senior care assistant and a care assistant who had responsibility for his care falsified care records. "They falsely stated that they performed tasks involving Mr Kearins at the time when he was no longer in the care home. "A close observation chart completed by the senior care assistant stated he had checked on Mr Kearins every hour between 2am and 8am. READ MORE: Greenpeace activists arrested as Forth Road Bridge protest ends "Both carers were unaware that he was not in his room until news of his death became known in the home following the discovery of his body in the car park." The carers were later dismissed from their positions and are currently under investigation by the Scottish Social Services Council. It remains unknown which staff member last accessed the internal fire door. Following the incident, the company introduced a new system requiring every exit and entry point to be checked at the end of each shift to ensure alarms are working. An additional alarm has also been installed at the top of the stairs outside Mr Kearins's former room to alert staff if someone enters the area.
The Herald Scotland
25-07-2025
- The Herald Scotland
Upton altered records to include Peggie patient concern
Ms Peggie is suing her employer after she was suspended following an incident with Dr Upton on Christmas Eve in 2023, where she objected to the trans medic's use of the female changing room. She also made reference to the situation being similar to men using the female prison estate, with Dr Upton lodging a formal complaint. Ms Peggie was placed on special leave in December 2023 and suspended in January 2024. Patient safety concerns were then raised. The nurse at Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy has been cleared of all misconduct allegations. On Friday, the tribunal heard that Dr Upton first shared her phone notes with Peter Donaldson, an information security manager at NHS Fife over Microsoft Teams in May 2025. Read more: He did not perform a forensic examination of the computer, not did he personally check the device. IT forensic expert Jim Borthwick conducted an independent investigation, where concerns over NHS Fife's investigation were revealed. His investigation revealed that Dr Upton had logged an interaction with Ms Peggie on December 18, 2023. It originally said: "Working nights. Won't make eye contact. Won't acknowledge my presence. "Not had direct conversation yet but I can feel the dismissal/hostility." There was no other information added from that evening, with the next log noting the Christmas Eve dispute. However, Mr Borthwick's independent investigation revealed that the log from December 18 was then updated on Boxing Day 2023 at 1:51am. Dr Upton had added: "Needed to ask Sandie a question about a child patient who left before being seen as she had triaged them. Couldn't find her. HCA (healthcare worker) (Rehana) offered to look for her. "Both came back. Rihanna asked Sandie if any concerns while both were in front of me. "Sandie didn't look at or otherwise engage with me. Responded she had no concerns. Read more: "I said thanks and that I needed to know for the letter. She did not acknowledge me either through word or eye contact and left the area." In evidence, Mr Borthwick said the notes were not contemporaneous, adding: "There appears to have been changes at different dates and times, so it has been edited." The evidence bundle did not include the other patient safety concern which alleged that Ms Peggie walked out on a patient in the resuscitation room when Dr Upton entered. The evidence bundle seen by The Herald also revealed Dr Upton logged two separate changing rooms incidents with Ms Peggie in October 2023. She first said on October 16, Ms Peggie walked into the changing room while Dr Upton was changing. The nurse looked "taken back," according to Dr Upton's note. Dr Upton said she said 'hey', with Ms Peggie replying "hi", before the nurse abruptly walked out, according to the phone notes. Dr Upton's notes continue: "Once I'd gotten changed I left the changing room and she was waiting outside. "She then entered the changing room despite having witnessed another doctor enter in the meantime. "I know from hearing the other doctor mention it that she and the nurse had a conversation in the changing room. "All very odd. "Can't help but feel slightly upset/put off by this. "Disappointed as appears that she chose not to enter because of me and didn't think I belonged there." Dr Upton ended that note: "Sad times :/" On October 25, 2023, logged: "She did it again. Sandie was in the changing room when I walked in. Christina (consultant) came in too. "Christina and I chatting. Presumably Sandie left as I then found her waiting outside to go back in once I'd left. Didn't even say hi. Weird." In his report, Mr Borthwick questioned the method used by NHS Fife's IT team, he warned the "accounts should have been examined by a digital forensic expert" and said he was "at a loss" as to why Dr Upton provided "such important evidence" through a Teams call.
