As their sons hit a 48-hour hurricane halfway through their record-breaking 3,800 mile row across the North Atlantic, Tom and Lawrence’s worried sick mums, Anne and Vanessa, leant on each other for support.
Close friends for nearly 10 years through their sons’ rowing, they couldn’t be prouder as Team Ocean Valour aim to raise £250,000 for The Brain Tumour Charity in memory of Tom’s dad, Luke, who died from a brain tumour in 2012.
Thankfully, Tom and Lawrence got through the storm unscathed. And Anne had never been so relieved and happy to hear Tom’s voice when he managed to ring her on his 24th birthday on Tuesday.
Now the lads – and their families – are counting down the days until they’re back home. Their mums tell us Tom and Lawrence’s spirits are being kept up by messages of support on their Just giving page.
“Every mum’s instinct is to protect her child from danger, but all I can do is pray to the gods that Tom and Lawrence come home safe. I’m so very proud of him and know his dad would’ve been, too. I told Tom; ‘Your dad will be on that boat with you.’ And I know he is guiding our boy home to me.”
Anne, Tom’s mum