Highland teen's excruciating pain fires football legend Graeme Souness (70) to complete English Channel swim and raise £1m
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FOOTBALL legend Graeme Souness has fulfilled a promise he made to a Black Isle teenager by swimming the English Channel at the age of 70 to raise over £1 million.
The former Scotland, Liverpool and Rangers star took on the daunting challenge after meeting Fortrose Academy pupil after meeting Isla Grist (14) who suffers from a rare skin disease Epidermolysis bullosa (EB).
Souness, who lives in Dorset, took 12 hours and 17 minutes to complete the 21-mile swim.
He was joined by five others, including Isla's father, Andy, to raise money for Debra UK, which supports people with the condition, also known as butterfly skin.
He broke down in tears during a BBC interview as he described it "the cruellest disease out there" and urged others to rally behind the fight to ease the daily pain of sufferers like Isla.
He has spoken movingly of how meeting Isla and finding out what she goes through every day spurred him out of his comfort zone.
And the public has responded in force, helping him hit his ambitious target.
Posting on Twitter, the charity offered "a huge thank you" for the epic effort.
It said: "A huge thank you to Graeme, Andy, Sean, Steph, Rob and Andy M for taking on this challenge to help #StopThePain for people living with EB."
Read also: Football legend has a million reasons to help Highland lass
Messages of congratulations have been pouring in since the crossing was confirmed.
One wrote: "Fabulous. Congrats to all those who took part. When you consider the health challenges Graeme has had it’s a truly remarkable achievement. I have made a donation and wish you success in research going forward."
To help boost the research funds even further, donate here.
