You never think it will happen to you...

Our 16 year old son, Sam, was on a post GCSE holiday with friends in Kenya when we received the call every parent dreads....Sam had been in a car accident and was in hospital with severe head injuries.

Sam underwent 15 hours of skull and facial reconstruction surgery and thankfully, after a month in hospital in Nairobi, and after excellent medical care and great support from our friends, we have bought him back home and he is recuperating well.

Unfortunately the one long term legacy is that Sam has lost all sight in his left eye and his right eye remains blurred and has restricted vision. For a keen and high achieving sportsman who is about to embark on his A level studies this has obviously had a major impact on his life.

However the determination and positive attitude that Sam is showing in getting back to school, and getting on with his life, is simply inspirational .... and very very humbling .

We also turned to the RNIB and they have been fantastic in providing both practical and emotional advice and support , focusing on the positive and what is possible  - no time to dwell on the 'why me 'question.

So, fat and approaching 50, I thought that I should get off my backside and do something to raise money for the fantastic work that the RNIB do for all visually impaired people.... by running the 2010 Virgin London Marathon as part of the RNIB team....and if I can show just a tiny bit of the positive spirit , determination and 'can do' approach that Sam is showing than I should be able to get through this !

I am therefore looking for donations and sponsorship and would like to raise as much money as possible for this fantastic organisation....I therefore am unashamedly asking you to support me and be as generous as you can in donating, either as an individual or on behalf of a company.

Donating 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.

Thank you so much in anticipation of your generous support....

....as they say, you never think it will happen to you.