Old Turton School pals have been raising money throughout January after their best friend died from motor neurone disease (MND).
Sam Griffiths, a co-founder of Salon Business Solutions, made it his life's mission to raise money for his friend, Robin Dobie, who died aged 43 after suffering with MND.
MND affects the brain and nerves with symptoms including muscle weakness, slurred speech and difficulty swallowing.
It is nearly always fatal and in 2013 after Rob’s diagnosis, Sam said Rob’s slow deterioration took him “from a man-mountain to life in a wheelchair”.
Sam said: “Rob was four days older than me, my best friend and a gentle giant, he was like a human mountain and if you thought anyone would have lived forever, it would have been Rob.
“In 2018, he died at Bolton Hospice and before he passed, I told him that we're going to set up a company and raise money so other families might not have to go through the same thing.”
Rob suffered all the typical symptoms but never complained or lost his sense of humour or ability to laugh at himself and others.
Towards the end of his life, Rob lost his speech and communicated via a computer on which he was “as funny and rude as ever”.
Sam, who is also godfather to Rob’s daughter, Mia said: “Rob is my passion and last month I decided that I would walk 15,000 steps a day to raise some extra money for the MND Association.
“It's been really challenging to meet it, I've been taking meetings by walking in the park, jumping on the treadmill after work until midnight and walking anywhere and everywhere I can.”
Sam called on colleagues, family and friends to join him on some of the walks across Bury, Bolton and Greater Manchester, also enlisting the help of his and Rob's old school friend, Martin Hibbert.
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Martin suffered spinal injuries in the 2017 Manchester Arena terrorist attack, and despite his injuries, in 2021 he reached the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to raise money for the Spinal Injuries Association.
Having been in the same Turton High School year group, Martin was pals with Sam and Rob, adding that Rob has been a huge support to him after he sustain his injuries.
After joining Sam on one of his walks, Martin said: “Rob was like Danny Zuko, all the women loved him and anything that he did, he was bloody good at.
“I was always in awe of him from the moment I met him and even after he was diagnosed in 2013, he never complained.
“I was injured in the 2017 attack and even though Rob was going through it and in a wheelchair at the time, he messaged me pretty much every day to keep my spirits up.”
Describing Rob as a selfless, kind, and brilliant man, Martin was more than happy to be a part of Sam’s fundraiser, even if it meant looking like "Frodo and Samwell" from The Lord of the Rings films while trekking through Bolton.
He said: “It took around three hours, we must have looked like Frodo and Samwell battling through the weather.
“We nearly got run over by a truck, but we were just laughing all the way, finishing off at the Strawberry Duck.
“We had around 20 years to catch up on and it was just a lovely day, hopefully, Rob was watching and laughing along with us.”
Martin added that “the real hero is Sam” for all his work under the radar, devoting his job and life to Rob in hopes that one day a cure can be found.
Sam said: “I promised Rob that we would raise money through our new company, and we have.
“In 2021, with three partners, we created SBS with the aim of changing the face of hairdressing because the industry is quite cutthroat, but we wanted charity and community at the centre.”
The business allows customers to round up their invoices and orders with the extra money going to the MND Association, which works to improve access to care, research and campaigning for people affected by MND.
With Sam's colleagues also taking on the challenge, so far, the 15,000 steps challenge has raised over £3,000 for the MND Association in memory of Rob.
Sam added that he is hoping to go for 10k every day and through SBS customers can always donate by topping up their orders.
He added: "It is so important to me to spread awareness of MND and what it can do.
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"Rob Burrows, a former professional rugby league player was diagnosed with MND in 2019 and he really does remind me of our Rob who was also really into his sports.
"It's a horrific disease but knowing that more and more people are becoming aware of it gives us some hope that one day a cure can be found."
For more information on how to donate see here.
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