Lochaber stalwart Lachlan Campbell was always the fiercest competitor on the shinty field and he continues to display his battling qualities after being diagnosed with motor neurone disease just over three years ago.
Campbell broke into the Lochaber senior side as a 14-year-old in 1992 and played until 2019.
“My shinty career never got to where I wanted to be,” he said.
“There were a lot of epic failures, and I had high hopes of winning something significant, but it never quite happened.
“I did win North Division 1, the National Division and the Balliemore Cup on a few occasions and played for Scotland over three international games.
“I have fond memories of playing juvenile shinty with Glengarry, where we had a very successful spell under the late, great Ewan Cameron’s guidance. Not only did we win things, but the craic was brilliant.”
‘I first noticed something wasn’t right in 2020’
Self-employed housebuilder Campbell’s life then changed, as he explained: “I first noticed something wasn’t right during mid-2020, but, in hindsight, there were signs as far back as 2015.
“It was 2020 when the real fear started as I began to realise that this wasn’t just something minor.
“I had brushed off a lot of the initial signs as just things that come with getting older.
“Weakness, dropping things, swaying whilst just standing still, that sort of thing.
“The penny finally dropped one night when I tried to speak, but my voice was totally unintelligible.
“It was a very scary as every time I tried to talk, it was the same, and you could see the others in our company looking on with concern.
“That’s when I realised there was something definitely wrong and I was diagnosed with MND on 15 December 2021.
“I’m one of the lucky ones – I’ve had three years since I was diagnosed, and a lot of people don’t get anywhere near that time, but I know I can’t keep working much longer in what is a manual labour job.”
Fundraising aims
Campbell continued: “I want to start a competition for prizes to raise funds, and I will give the majority of the profits to families who are struggling financially to deal with the MND disease.
“I know how difficult it is to keep working to pay the bills when you are suffering from this.
“I’ve already started a draw on my Facebook page for a bottle of Glenmorangie Grand Vintage Malt 1991.
“If this first raffle proves popular, I’m hoping to grow this as a frequent fundraiser with everyone’s help.”
The prize on offer is a 27-year-old bottle of Glenmorangie, which Lachlan says holds a recommended retail price of £650. The competitions will be called MND Prizes (Mind Not Defeated).
Campbell added: “I hope to get a website and social media presence up and running within the next six months ,but for now, the raffle can be viewed on my personal Facebook page.
“I also want to be careful with this as, moving forward, this will be my source of income, and I don’t want to feel I’m a charity case – so I’m being upfront and saying that not all profits will go to other families moving forward but the majority will. I hope the money raised can make peoples’ lives that bit easier.
“I’ve had a few ideas about how to do this and I want to respect people’s privacy.
“My worry is that pride might get in the way, and I might feel the same, which leads to transparency as I feel it’s important for people to see the money going to where I’m telling them it’s going.
“But if it came to it, sending the money anonymously might be the only way, but time will tell on that front.”
Tickets cost £5 each and details of how they can be purchased are on Lachlan Campbell’s Facebook page and have been shared by many shinty clubs offering their support.
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