Why I'm riding

Please help me raise funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.

This cause is very close to my heart… actually, my niece Jessica’s heart.

Four years ago, Jessica unexpectedly went into cardiac arrest while I was looking after her on holiday in Queensland.

It was the worst experience of my life, but fortunately, she survived.

We now know that she has a rare heart rhythm disorder called CPVT (Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia).

Flying medical services were essential to her survival and to getting her rapid access to the specialists who were able to make her life-saving diagnosis. In the acute phase, needing Paediatric ICU, she was flown from Airlie Beach to Mackay, then from Mackay to Townsville. A couple of days after she was woken from her induced-coma she was flown from Townsville to Brisbane, where she received specialist care and her diagnosis.
All of this was provided at no cost to her family.

So, this October, I am taking on a cycling challenge to raise funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service and help them continue their incredibly important work.

I also want to raise awareness of inherited heart arrhythmias and the importance of First Aid training. We had no idea that Jessica had this condition, and it was the proximity of a defibrillator, along with people who were trained to use it, that saved her life.

My month-long cycling challenge will start on 30 September with a bike ride with Jessica. This will mark four years to the day since her cardiac arrest.

It will be a celebration of her survival - and of the four years she has had to grow into the funny, clever, artistic eleven-almost-twelve-year-old who brings us so much joy and laughter.

If you can, please donate to help the Royal Flying Doctor Service continue providing this vital service to people when they need it most. You never know when it will save the life of someone that you love.