Larvell

Larvell, from Nottingham, was 10 when he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.  He spent a lot of time in hospital and missed over two years of school. During this time his hair fell out, he gained weight and lost a lot of confidence.  Larvell first sailed with the Trust in 2005.  “I had never thought about sailing before, but I enjoyed it a lot, and could talk about anything with the others on my trip.”  He didn’t look back, and has returned every year since. 

In 2009 Larvell sailed in the J.P. Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race where he was introduced to the former Head of UK business at J.P. Morgan Asset Management.  A huge advocate of the Trust, he was so impressed by Larvell’s outlook and positive attitude that he offered him an internship with the company, beginning in 2010. 

Since Larvell first stepped onboard with the Trust, his Mum has seen him transform from a shy retiring boy into a more confident and independent young man:  “Being on a low income and living in Nottingham, sailing was an experience I could never have given him.  Larvell is fairly quiet and doesn’t go out much, but has travelled the length of the country on a train by himself to go sailing with the Trust. It has given him much more confidence, and taught him to see the ability inside him.  Something good has come out of something bad, and I’m very proud of him.”

With first hand experience of how the Trust can benefit young people, Larvell can’t wait to return as a volunteer in the future….

Larvell’s story above first appeared in Issue 1 of our Newsletter ‘Inspire’, and since then, Larvell has returned to take part in our graduate volunteer training week, and helped on three trips in the summer of 2010.  He is now working towards a Marine Studies degree at University.  Larvell took part in the Bupa Great South Run for the Trust at the end of 2010, saying, “I’d never done anything like this before. I was extremely unfit and couldn’t even run a mile without stopping!” he admits. “But I wanted to raise funds for the charity I love, which has helped me and a lot of my friends, so I put a lot of effort in my training. It paid off and I finished in 1 hour 26 minutes, beating my original goal of two hours by 34 minutes! I really enjoyed it, once again I have the Trust to thank for getting me into another sport, it gives me a lot of motivation and all the people involved are very inspirational.” 

In April 2011 he will be competing in the 26 mile Brighton Marathon, you can support his amazing efforts here.  Larvell will be returning to the Trust to help out again over the summer of 2011.