For Better Oar Worse charity Atlantic challenge

We are Mark and Dani - Team For Better or Worse and we are attempting to become the fastest married couple to complete the Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge 2023 (TWAC 2023). The race has been dubbed 'the world's toughest row' and is a gruelling 3000 crossing from La Gomera to Antigua.

Inspired by Ian Davies, a member of the Atlantic Mavericks team who completed the TWAC 2019, Mark and Dani decided to undertake the crossing.

Dani has a debilitating prolactinoma - a benign tumour in her pituitary gland, which has grown alarmingly over the past few years. The condition and the unpleasant side effects of medication made it very difficult for them to start a family, but they now have two beautiful children. However, the tumour has now grown at such a rate that Dani has had to have consultations and mri scans to see whether surgery is viable prior to completing the race. These have shown the tumour is perilously close to the main blood vessel into her brain, making surgery too dangerous, so between the end of last year and the start of the race on 12th December later this year, Dani is having to have double doses of her meds in the hope that she can go without them during their world record attempt.

Dani lives with dizziness, terrible headaches and nausea, yet she climbs mountains every day to put in extra training in the hope that she can raise awareness of this terrible condition and prove that it is still possible to chase dreams, to push yourself to unknown limits and most of all to inspire others to do the same.

This quote says it all:

'We want to inspire anyone who has a dream, because dreams are just the other side of fear - you just need courage to take the journey.

Apart from inspiring others, we are raising money and awareness for our chosen charities, using our own life-changing challenge to change many people's lives for the better.'

The charitable causes which will benefit from Mark and Dani's efforts are Access Sport UK; two young people with extremely rare epilepsy, both of whom are in Bridgnorth and Oswestry - Mark and Dani's home towns; their local primary schools and a community project in their home town offering sporting experiences and opportunities to young people who would not ordinarily get them.

We are grateful for any level of help. By donating, you are helping us to achieve our objective of creating better opportunities for young people, and to help build dreams which can become reality in the minds of our children and yours.