DXC cycling challenge to help Faith walk again

My wonderful colleagues at DXC have kindly arranged a bike endurance ride from Bristol to Richmond, a total distance of just over 120 miles, to help raise funds for my daughter Faith to walk again.

Faith is my only child, now 21 years old.

Almost two years ago, during the summer break, she fell in the mountain during a hike and broke her spine – a vertebrae was shattered.

She went through a life-saving surgery whereby the shattered vertebrae were removed, and a titanium implant was installed to support the spine.

She had to do another surgery two months later, as it turned out not all bone fragments were removed and there were pieces left pressing against her spinal cord.

Unfortunately, due to the injury and the pressure, her spinal cord is severely damaged. She is now senseless from the waist down. Her long, svelte, and beautiful legs are now motionless, she lost the ability to walk. My cheerful, full of life and beautiful girl is now pinned down to a wheelchair.

We refuse to accept this reality though!

Last year she went through a stems cell treatment - 3 therapies 90 days apart from each other, followed by aggressive physiotherapy for about 3 months.

She needs to continue with the rehabilitation now so we can provide maximum stimulation and help the recovery of nerves damaged. However, this is a slow, long and extremely painful process she must go through. The amount of pain she is going through is immense, unbearable, but she is a tough cookie and I know she will get through this challenge.

All the sweats and tears are paying off as she is able now to feel her bowels, which gives her the opportunity to slightly control her callings to the bathroom - something she didn't have just a few months ago. It might not sound like a big improvement, but it is a huge step for her progress, which indicates she is on the right path.

Unfortunately, the specific rehabilitation is quite expensive, which is why we need your help.

She is visiting a specialised clinic in Novi Sad, Serbia - Orto- MD, where they have Cyberdyne's exoskeleton - the best therapy for people with this condition. One of the videos on their page actually has her doing some of the exercises!

However, a daily therapy of 6 hours, including the exoskeleton, kinezytherapy, neurofeedback and some other stimulations cost £220.00.

We wish we could raise enough funds so she can spend at least 5 weeks at a time, and we must do this every couple of months for best results.

To help raise the funds needed, the brave team at DXC are embarking on a riding challenge that will see several non-experienced riders’ cycle across changing terrains, busy public roads, and the ever-unpredictable British weather.

The route will take them through Bath, alongside the Kennet and Avon canal through Wessex, Hungerford, Newbury, Reading, Heathrow and into Richmond.

Since 2013, employees from DXC have taken part in an annual charity cycle ride, raising money for both MacMillan Cancer and the RNLI. This challenge will last 2 days with riders expected to saddle up and stay on their bikes for 6 hours at a time.

I cannot thank them enough, and I cannot thank you enough for your kind support.