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Dear all, This year, I have decided to get involved in raising money for Team Octavia (<a href="http://www.justgiving.com/Team-Octavia">http://www.justgiving.com/Team-Octavia</a>), and the SMA Trust. Below I try to answer some key questions about who we are, why we are doing it and what we are up to? First and foremost who is Octavia? Octavia Woodward is the eldest daughter of Tim and Henrietta Woodward, great friends of ours.   Octavia was born with SMA and yet she has never once complained about her daily struggle with normal life. Octavia is an intelligent and very pretty 14 year old, who, against the odds, has a real zest for life. Octavia is an inspiration to us all, as she unselfishly strives to raise awareness and money to help fund the essential research into finding a cure for this debilitating condition.   I was so moved at a recent campaign launch dinner, to hear Octavia speak and most notably telling us just how important it is to raise these funds (see below) and yet "it (the cure) may not may not come in time to save me (Octavia). By raising this money, we will hopefully stop other children going through what I have".    She is a truly remarkable young lady. What is SMA?   SMA is Spinal Muscular Atrophy.   SMA is a devastating, genetic disease. It is a leading genetic killer of infants and toddlers.   The SMA Trust is the only UK charity dedicated solely to funding research into this debilitating condition. Scientists are making significant progress in finding a cure, for which we need your help.   Octavia has Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) Type II.  SMA is a genetically inherited neuromuscular condition resulting in decreased muscle strength throughout the body.  This means that Octavia has a maximum of 10% of normal muscle strength and is a permanent wheelchair user.   How much is Team Octavia looking to raise? Tim and his family and friends are aiming to raise £1 million this year through various challenges.     Tim himself is walking the whole 630 miles of the South West Coastal Path and I will be accompanying him on the 5th leg from Wembury Beach to Budleigh Salterton. How much am I wishing to raise personally ? I would be delighted if I could raise £100,000 towards this target. Please dig deep into your pockets and remember that with every pound raised, we will be closer to finding a cure and saving the lives of many other children like Octavia. How can you help? You can visit <a href="http://www.justgiving.com/andrew-j-stone">www.justgiving.com/andrew-j-stone</a> or if you prefer you can send a cheque payable to The SMA Trust, Compton Scorpion, Shipston on Stour, Warwickshire CV36 4PJ   Thank you all so much for your anticipated support. I will be sharing the blog writing responsibilities with Tim on our week together and will endeavour to post photographs on our way around. If you would like to follow the blog for the entire journey, please click on the link below:   <a href="http://www.timwoodward.blog.com/">www.timwoodward.blog.com</a>

Andrew Stone's page

Andrew Stone's page

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