As Christmas draws closer and the final days of 2013 are upon us we look back at the past year. As with all other years there are high and lows. Our fundraising endeavours have been nothing short of amazing. To date Sam’s Trust has raised $24,000 for FARA in the United States.
As always the Open Garden brought family and friends but it also brought new supporters notably Jimi and June Blake who sent a fabulous array of plants to sell. The Neven Cookery demonstration was a great success and we were delighted with the people who travelled far and wide to be there on the night. Cormac’s Channel Swim in terrible weather conditions consumed our waking and sleeping until we knew he and his team were safely home. More recently the fabulous Mum’s Baking Book has been sold around the country and has not just raised much needed funds but it has raised awareness about Friedreich’s Ataxia.
The difficult part of 2013 is watching FA take its toll and win out against Sam. Walking has become almost impossible. So too has getting him sorted with an appropriate wheelchair that meets his needs. Many promises were broken by those who shouldn’t break promises and let Sam down, but we won’t let that stop us and our work.
What will 2014 bring? Who knows? A new wheelchair, the Open Garden, our visit to Dr Lynch in Philadelphia, a treatment or cure. Who knows?