Premier News | Lima
Paul Furlong’s Born Survivor Story
On 12 September 2026, Lima’s own Paul Furlong and five of his friends (all dads!) put their hygiene to one side and completed Born Survivor in support of Liverpool Women’s Hospital. Paul and his friends pushed through mud, sweat and tears for 12 kilometres in the Lancashire countryside.
Born Survivor put on two annual events, one in Cheshire and another in Lancashire. Both events are military-grade obstacle courses, engineered by Royal Marine Commandos. Physical strength is only one of the requirements needed to overcome the odds; mental resilience and emotional stamina are just as important.
Paul and his team rose to the challenge to bring attention to one of Liverpool’s most community-driven charities: Liverpool Women’s Hospital. The Women’s is also a charity particularly close to Paul’s heart. Paul’s Mum was diagnosed with terminal Ovarian cancer in 2023 and has recently been receiving care at Liverpool Women’s Hospital.
Approximately 7,700 women in the UK are diagnosed with Ovarian cancer annually. Two thirds of diagnoses are made in stages 3 and 4.
There are two main reasons why Ovarian cancer is detected so late. Firstly, there is currently no reliable screening tool to detect Ovarian cancer. Secondly, many of its symptoms associated with non-cancerous conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome.
Despite the challenges facing detection of Ovarian cancer in patients, genetic tests can help to identify inherited genes (such as BRCA 1 and BRCA 2) at an earlier stage.
Paul recently shared with his peers at Lima that his Mum has pushed through her health complications and continued to lead an active life. Mrs Furlong’s get-up-and-go attitude clearly doesn’t fall far from the tree; Paul and his friends displayed his Mum’s strength of character by overcoming Born Survivor in a mere 2 hours and 23 minutes.
The course was peppered with 28 obstacles, many of which designed to be conquered as a team. The most extreme of these ‘attractions’ included ‘The Torpedo’: a waterslide with a maximum speed of 41 kilometres per hour and ‘Waterboarding’: a crawl across slippery tarpaulin while being sprayed by water. According to Paul, the most physically demanding challenge of the day was ‘Kampta’s Karry’, which required participants to carry two 50-kilogram weights while walking up a steep incline.
The valiant effort by half a dozen Liverpudlian dads was more than a display of strength. Together, they have helped to raise over £6,200 for Liverpool Women’s Hospital, with Paul alone raising £2,624.54.
While the mud may have (just about) been rinsed away and the blisters may have healed, it is not too late to support Liverpool Women’s Hospital. Paul’s Just Giving page remains active. All the funds raised are passed directly to the Women’s Hospital to support their noble cause.
