Running on Empty
Guy Deacon
'An immense feat of endurance, a remarkable achievement, and a truly inspirational adventure filled with courage and hope' – Sir Ranulph Fiennes
At the age of sixty, and having lived with Parkinson’s disease for over ten years, Guy Deacon CBE set out on one last adventure: to drive solo from his home in the UK 18,000 miles and through twenty-five countries to Cape Town on the southern tip of Africa. This incredible journey, across Europe and down the full length of Africa, took the former British Army officer over twelve months. Along the way, he broke down five times, underwent one emergency evacuation, and took 3,650 prescription pills.
There are only a handful of vehicles each year which attempt this difficult journey; many never complete it. Ongoing conflicts in Libya, South Sudan, Mozambique and many other countries make any journey exceptionally dangerous. In central Africa, road conditions, particularly in the rainy season, often make the going treacherous. Further hazards include illegal checkpoints, extortion, contaminated fuel and a lack of services.
Guy drove, lived and slept in his VW Transporter, often in remote spots, hundreds of miles from the nearest village or town. Reliant on patchy GPS, he often got lost. His journey was, quite simply, an incredible feat by a man travelling alone with Stage 3 Parkinson’s disease, when simply putting on a pair of shoes can take half an hour.
But not only did Guy’s journey fulfil a childhood dream to drive the length of Africa, his mission was also to raise global awareness of Parkinson’s disease, for which there is currently still no cure.
Author - Guy Deacon.
Narrator - John Telfer.
Published Date - Thursday, 11 January 2024.
Copyright - © 2024 Boldwood Books ©.
Location:
United States
Description:
'An immense feat of endurance, a remarkable achievement, and a truly inspirational adventure filled with courage and hope' – Sir Ranulph Fiennes At the age of sixty, and having lived with Parkinson’s disease for over ten years, Guy Deacon CBE set out on one last adventure: to drive solo from his home in the UK 18,000 miles and through twenty-five countries to Cape Town on the southern tip of Africa. This incredible journey, across Europe and down the full length of Africa, took the former British Army officer over twelve months. Along the way, he broke down five times, underwent one emergency evacuation, and took 3,650 prescription pills. There are only a handful of vehicles each year which attempt this difficult journey; many never complete it. Ongoing conflicts in Libya, South Sudan, Mozambique and many other countries make any journey exceptionally dangerous. In central Africa, road conditions, particularly in the rainy season, often make the going treacherous. Further hazards include illegal checkpoints, extortion, contaminated fuel and a lack of services. Guy drove, lived and slept in his VW Transporter, often in remote spots, hundreds of miles from the nearest village or town. Reliant on patchy GPS, he often got lost. His journey was, quite simply, an incredible feat by a man travelling alone with Stage 3 Parkinson’s disease, when simply putting on a pair of shoes can take half an hour. But not only did Guy’s journey fulfil a childhood dream to drive the length of Africa, his mission was also to raise global awareness of Parkinson’s disease, for which there is currently still no cure. Author - Guy Deacon. Narrator - John Telfer. Published Date - Thursday, 11 January 2024. Copyright - © 2024 Boldwood Books ©.
Language:
English
Chapter 1
Duration:00:04:31
Chapter 2
Duration:00:10:14
Chapter 3
Duration:00:09:00
Chapter 4
Duration:00:08:25
Chapter 5
Duration:00:15:24
Chapter 6
Duration:00:08:52
Chapter 7
Duration:00:18:06
Chapter 8
Duration:00:15:17
Chapter 9
Duration:00:07:39
Chapter 10
Duration:00:17:24
Chapter 11
Duration:00:06:22
Chapter 12
Duration:00:18:02
Chapter 13
Duration:00:18:25
Chapter 14
Duration:00:15:38
Chapter 15
Duration:00:14:14
Chapter 16
Duration:00:13:32
Chapter 17
Duration:00:19:24
Chapter 18
Duration:00:15:20
Chapter 19
Duration:00:14:39
Chapter 20
Duration:00:12:06
Chapter 21
Duration:00:12:52
Chapter 22
Duration:00:15:55
Chapter 23
Duration:00:14:50
Chapter 24
Duration:00:10:59
Chapter 25
Duration:00:08:55
Chapter 26
Duration:00:09:37
Chapter 27
Duration:00:11:53
Chapter 28
Duration:00:19:12
Chapter 29
Duration:00:11:50
Chapter 30
Duration:00:14:04
Chapter 31
Duration:00:19:41
Chapter 32
Duration:00:18:34
Chapter 33
Duration:00:17:35
Chapter 34
Duration:00:16:09
Chapter 35
Duration:00:19:06
Chapter 36
Duration:00:18:11
Chapter 37
Duration:00:19:23
Chapter 38
Duration:00:23:47