 A Chelsea Pensioner who has been given one year to live by doctors will drive 3,000 miles from London to Gibraltar to raise money for three charities. Chris O'Connor, 81, who is a resident veteran at the Royal Hospital Chelsea will travel in a 20-year-old 1.6-litre Toyota Corolla. Chris will do it all while battling a 'wasting disease in (his) lungs' – idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). He's doing it in memory of his friend Geoff Read, a fellow Chelsea Pensioner who died in January this year, and for three charities Back on Track, the Royal Hospital Chelsea's Veteran Outreach programme, and Blind Veterans. It is all part of the Veterans Bangers Rally which starts on on September 24 and will take approximately one week each way. Afterwards the car will be donated to the charity Back on Track before being auctioned at its Dancing with Heroes Ball on November 25. Chris said: 'I've certainly had a good run, but I know there is more that can be done to leave the world in a better state than I found it. 'If in my last year I can leave a legacy which tells people, 'You can make a difference to the lives of many if you just try', then I'll be happy. Chris (right) will be driving in memory of his friend Geoff Read (Picture: PA Real Life) 'My motto is just, 'Keep going' – get out there and enjoy life.'' Chris worked in the army before later becoming the mayor of Calderdale in 2001. In later years, he cared for his wife Dorothy, who had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS), until she developed cancer and later passed away, aged 67, in 2013. The dad-of-three raised money for several charities in the past, including MS Society UK. Chris wants to make the most of his time left and said: 'My lungs have a gradual wasting disease, and the local hospital somewhere down the line is going to issue me with experimental drugs which might slow it all down. '){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
A Chelsea Pensioner who has been given one year to live by doctors will drive 3,000 miles from London to Gibraltar to raise money for three charities.
Chris O’Connor, 81, who is a resident veteran at the Royal Hospital Chelsea will travel in a 20-year-old 1.6-litre Toyota Corolla.
Chris will do it all while battling a ‘wasting disease in (his) lungs’ – idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
He’s doing it in memory of his friend Geoff Read, a fellow Chelsea Pensioner who died in January this year, and for three charities Back on Track, the Royal Hospital Chelsea’s Veteran Outreach programme, and Blind Veterans.