Firefighter says thank you with marathon effort
A Perthshire firefighter who was told his arm would be amputated after a cycling accident will run the Edinburgh Marathon to raise funds for the charity that aided his miraculous recovery.
Piotr Gudan moved to Blairgowrie with his now wife in 2014 and joined the fire service on call ranks that same year, responding to emergencies via a pager system.
However just six months in the dadof-one, originally from Poland, saw his life cruelly put on hold when he received the devastating news that his arm might be lost.
Piotr explained: “After coming to Blairgowrie, I opened my own outdoor adventure business and also joined the SFRS as an on-call firefighter.
“But within six months I had the accident and was told my left arm may have to be amputated, or that I could lose all feeling in it. It was soul-destroying.
“I had not long moved here and didn’t really know anyone, but the support I got from local senior officers and my colleagues reaffirmed that the SFRS was a good place to be.”
Piotr was aided back to health through immeasurable support from The Fire
Fighters Charity.
A fortnight’s rehabilitation at the charity’s Jubilee House facility, in Penrith, Cumbria, saw him make a remarkable recovery and return to operational duty within the same year.
He is now running the Edinburgh Marathon in aid of the charity - despite only taking up running two years ago.
Piotr, who is dad to four-year-old Dominic, said: “The Fire Fighters Charity gave me the chance to return to work in the same year as my accident, so being able to support them definitely gives you extra motivation to dig deep and keep going.
“I used to hate running, but eventually did a half marathon with nine members of the Blairgowrie crew 18 months ago in aid of charity. It was very difficult - I could hardly walk after I crossed the finish line.
“Now I’ve signed up for the full marathon and people think I am crazy.”
Piotr balances his marathon training with parenthood, his on-call role, and working in his day job.
Making time to train is difficult, but serving his community as an on call firefighter is something Piotr loves.
“It’s one of the best jobs in the world,” he said. “It can be very hard to find the time to dedicate yourself to the on-call role but it is very rewarding and definitely worth it.’’
To donate to Piotr’s fundraising efforts go to the Just Giving website and search ‘Piotr is running Edinburgh Marathon’.
I’ve signed up for the full marathon and people think I’m crazy Piotr Gudan