Heather Hodge
A very British Challenge
Fundraising for HemiHelp
Story
Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
As part of my mission to get fit before THAT birthday and my paralympic torch bearers run I have decided to give myself a challenge for the Summer and to help Hemihelp and new charity Hemichat at the same time. Both charities have played a big role in the lives of my family over the last few years and I would like to give something back.
My son Billy suffered a stroke in the womb and was born with a form of cerebral palsy called hemiplegia. Hemi means half and Billy's left half is affected. He attends a mainstream school and does brilliantly - we are very proud parents but his physical differences to his peers can make him very frustrated. When Billy was diagnosed we found out everything we could about the condition but he was too small to explain it to. When he got to 7 or 8 Billy had questions and felt quite alone as he didnt know any other children with the condition. Since joining both hemihelp and hemichat we have gained the help, support and friendship of lots of amazing people who just get it. Its helped the whole family so much and through the groups Billy has been put in touch with CP Sport and taken part in several of their sports days, something that his able bodied classmates take for granted.
If you would like your donation to go to hemichat rather than hemihelp please visit their website at hemichat.org and click on the donate button. Please mention me in your description of your payment.
Alternatively, donating to hemihelp through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.
So please dig deep and donate now.
So... here's the challenge. in this very British year of jubilees and sporting events it seemed only right to try a very British and very sporting challenge. I have been lucky enough to be asked to carry the paralympic torch and feel I need to do a bit more to earn the right! Before the Paralympics start on 29 August 2012 I will attempt to cycle/run 603 miles (the distance from Land’s End to John O’Groats), Row/swim 21 miles (the English Channel) and climb (on a stairmaster) 3000 metres (equivalent of the 3 peaks – Ben Nevis, Scafell and Snowdon). This will be done in stages at the Garstang YMCA and I will get each section witnessed by a fellow gym user.
While hemihelp is an established charity, hemichat is new and I'm proud to be a part of this dynamic group who are campaigning and raising money to gain registered charity status. "Hemi Chat's mission, passion and primary ambition is to unite families affected by Hemiplegia, enabling them to share support, information and life experiences thus allowing all children with Hemiplegia to know they are not alone in their life journey. We will make pathways within the health service and medical professions to ensure each new diagnosis of Hemiplegia is dealt with in a highly informative manner and are advised on the support service Hemi Chat can offer. “Hemi Chat” is an active support group created on Facebook to support Parents, Adults and Children living with Hemiplegia. Our Hemi family has been growing for 12 months and we have now expanded to three groups:parents hemichat, adults hemi chat and kidz hemichat.