A FORMER Exeter rugby player battling a rare form of cancer has come up with a novel way of raising money and awareness of his illness.
Dad-of-three Martin Lynn, who played in the same colts team as Exeter Chiefs head coach Rob Baxter, declared August 24 Fezmas Day.
Martin explained: "It's Christmas Day with a twist. "Everything must be the same –Christmas trees, Christmas dinner with all the trimmings, Christmas jumpers, music, crackers and festive films but everyone taking part must wear a fez, preferably with a bit of tinsel on it."
Martin and a group of 20 friends and family got together for some fez-tide fun and there were be similar celebrations going on around Britain and overseas.
It was the culmination of a fund-raising campaign that has already topped £5,000 in just three months with all the money going to Exeter cancer charity FORCE, which has supported Martin who was diagnosed with an advanced stage of cutaneous T cell lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system in 2009.
He has since had surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy in Exeter and London and is currently on a pioneering drug trial.
He's been forced to give up his replacement window and conservatory business and is now awaiting a stem cell transplant after discovering that his sister, Katherine, is a match.
"The transplant is life threatening for me but so is this disease. After my first round of treatment finished it hit me really hard. FORCE came to my rescue, turned my life around and I want to give something back for all the support they've given me and my family."
Martin had bought a fez at a Turkish market some years ago and has used it as a focal point for his campaign.
He has even managed to get some celebrity endorsements – TV chef Phil Vickery was persuaded to wear the fez on stage while Apprentice star and business magnate Lord Sugar and football pundit Robbie Savage gave Martin mentions to a combined Twitter following of 4.7 million.
Martin said: "Cancer has made me think very differently about life and I'd like to make Fezmas an annual thing with other events like golf days and a fez ball".
You can support Martin's fundraising campaign at virginmoneygiving.com/team/martin2
