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Sixteen years ago, MarkTaylor, now 46, was diagnosed with a degenerative disease called Neuro Sarcoidosis, which caused him to lose his eyesight, the use of both of his legs, and the strength in his right arm. This neurological disease is an inflammatory disease that affects the central nervous system, and in rare cases like Mark’s, affects the brain and spinal cord.While he has since regained some mobility, despite all the obstacles Mark faces daily however, he will be swimming in the 2019 Auckland Harbour Crossing on Saturday 6 April, as a fundraising event for neurological research. “It would be great to assist in the learning of neurological diseases and hopefully to prevent others from suffering disabilities,” says Mark, on his Give-A-Little page. To date Mark has raised over $95,000 for the advancement of neurological research, which will be donated to the Neurological Foundation. Mark’s original goal was to raise $100,000 before the swim in April, but he has now set the goal even higher, with an aim to reach $150,000 by April. In February of 2003, at the age of 29, Mark noticed his first symptom of Neuro Sarcoidosis while chopping wood with his brother. He went to rub sweat out of his right eye and noticed he couldn’t see out of his left. He waited until the following morning to see if it would clear up but unfortunately, it didn’t, instead, the pain he had been feeling for months behind his eyes had got worse. After being sent to Auckland Hospital and running through a series of tests, the consultants diagnosed him with optic neuritis, swelling of the optic nerve which is a common symptom in multiple sclerosis. Within 8 months of being diagnosed with optic neuritis, Mark had suffered 8 more attacks like the one in February, and in October of that year, he completely lost the sight in his left eye. His health started to deteriorate more after that; three years after he lost the sight in his left eye, he lost sight in his right; then three years later, at the age of 35, he became completely paralyzed and was admitted to a rehabilitation facility A lighthouse in the dark: Mark Taylor’s swim for a cause Meet the man overcoming physical odds swimming across the Auckland Harbour in April 2019. 14 / Headlines