Islander puts best foot forward in attempt to break world record for firewalking

Mark Baker, who was given less than a 50 per cent survival rate after being diagnosed with testicular cancer and lymphoma, aims to walk barefoot over a bed of hot embers almost the length of two football pitches.

The 49-year-old, who has previously trained as a firewalk instructor, plans to walk 600 feet on hot embers at the Watersplash on 16 April next year. The record is currently held by Trevor McGhee, which was achieved in Canada in 2007 and stands at 596.8 feet.

Mr Baker, who was diagnosed with cancer three years after a year of misdiagnoses but was given the all-clear last December, said that he had been looking for years to find a challenge he could undertake which would ‘reflect the power of the mind’.

‘I wanted to find a physical demonstration of how powerful the mind is and how it can change your perspective and how you see things,’ the father of Chloe (24) and Robyn (21) said.

‘My challenge is getting through to enough people to help them understand that they have much more power than they realise – the power to heal, the power to succeed and the power to live the lives that they have always dreamed of. This doesn’t just apply to serious illness – it applies to everything in life that we do or that we fail to do. We can all do so much more than we believe we can.’

He added that his family were not surprised to hear of his latest challenge. ‘They know it’s in my make-up to help people, so nothing is unexpected to them,’ the motivational speaker from St Mary said.

‘I am always looking at new ways to help people, and they will be involved in the preparation and will be very hands-on with everything. It is quite daunting but an amazing thing to be able to link that with helping people.’

Mr Baker said he used the power of the mind to survive his illness and has spent much of his time helping other patients to think positively and increase their chances of beating cancer.

He is due to release his book, Unbreakable Spirit, in April next year at the same time as his world record attempt.

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