Disabled Millwall fan visits all 272 tube stops to raise ataxia awareness

By Herbie Russell herbie@southwarknews.co.uk

a Millwall fan with a degenerative neurological condition has visited every London tube station to raise awareness about ataxia disorder.

Ben Spencer, 49, took four-and-half months to visit all 272 stops using his walking sticks and celebrated the achievement outside Tottenham Court Road last month.

A season ticket holder at the Den, and a former Lewisham bouncer, Ben has now set his sights on the summit of Snowdon. Ataxia usually results from damage to a part of the brain called the cerebellum, which coordinates muscle movement and speech.

Asked why he chose the tube challenge, Ben said: “I’ve always enjoyed the tube… I think it’s the history, the Londonness of

By Herbie Russell herbie@southwarknews.co.uk

a grandMothEr is thrilled to have had her surgery done “by R2-D2”, a state-of-the-art robot that operates through patients’ mouths at guy’s and st thomas’ hospital.

Barbara Jones, 75, from Essex, is one of the first people to be treated by the robot surgeon whose real name is Versius.

After having two benign cysts removed from her throat, the grandmother-of-three said: “When I first heard that I was going to be operated on by a robot, I said to my son ‘R2-D2 is doing my surgery!’

“I knew nothing about robotic surgery before, but it’s remarkable what they can do now.” it - it connects everyone. The reason I’m doing this is to raise awareness of ataxia because the biggest problem is it taking years and years to get diagnosed.”

Versius removes tumours from people’s mouths and throats and means that patients can avoid more invasive types of surgery.

Known as transoral robotic surgery (TORS), robot-led surgery is a wellestablished technique but Versius is a particularly modern model.

Ben, brought up around Lewisham and Lee, began developing problems with his mobility and speech ten years ago but his condition was misdiagnosed as a tremor and other conditions.

Only receiving a full diagnosis last July, Ben said: “It was frustrating. There was my partner pushing me to get more tests… but I got the impression I wasn’t being believed and so I just got on with life.”

While working as a bouncer around Lewisham, including the 286 gay club on Lewisham High Street, Ben learned ways of concealing his shake, brought on by ataxia. He said: “I’d have to be careful to not let people see my hands were shaking as it doesn’t look good to be a nervous bouncer.

“I could hide it by tensing my hands… the people I worked with didn’t mind because they could see I could do the job.”

Ben said his favourite south London tube station was Southwark “because of the architecture”: “It’s unique to get off the platform and get into the bit where there is the art deco stuff… it’s just really great.”

He doesn’t think there’s a worst tube station but, when pressed on Bermondsey Station, he said: “The politest thing I could say for that station is that it’s functional.

“Most stations have a beacon effect but Bermondsey is quite dark. The architecture is clever but it could do with some illumination.”

While at Stratford station, he bumped into Millwall manager Gary Rowett, who mistook Ben for a West Ham fan because of his claret-coloured outfit.

“He was really nice and really friendly and I said I’m a season ticket holder. He thought I was West Ham - we had a laugh about it,” he said.

Ben’s condition is deteriorating by the day and he is being forced to use his wheelchair more often. He now aims to visit all 272 station using his wheelchair but as only 92 are wheelchair accessible, he’ll visit most by bus. He also hopes to climb as far as he can up Mount Snowdon in Wales in June, accompanied by his toy tube carriage, in a challenge named ‘Taking the Tube up Snowdon’.

During procedures, surgeons control its four modular robotic arms using a camera attached to one of the arms to see inside the patient.

It offers surgeons an enhanced 3D view inside the body and allows the operator to make big movements on the console that are scaled down to allow precise, surgical movements.

“It feels strange to be one of the first people to have this but I was more worried about just going into hospital and getting rid of the pain. It feels a lot better now, said Barbara.

Guy’s and St Thomas’ robotic head and neck surgery lead Mr Asit Arora led the surgery along with Mr JP Jeannon, a head and neck consultant surgeon.

Mr Arora has pioneered TORS in the UK since 2009, then with a different robotic system, and now teaches robotic surgery to clinicians across the country and Europe. He said: “Going through the mouth with a robotic system allows surgeons to safely operate in a tight, small space which is surrounded by important blood vessels and nerves.”