Having had for years a pathological fear of rowing, I now find myself preparing to row around the Isle of Wight (the French have unfortunately shut the Channel to "man powered craft") as part of an 8 man team in a Cornish gig (think long, thin, open to the elements rowing boat). The row will be about 50 miles and will take 10-12 hours (which is about double the length of the original plan to row across the Channel)!!!

The aim of the row is to raise money to help a 5 year old girl called Jemima to walk. Jemima was born prematurely and suffered a brain injury at birth leading her to be diagnosed with spastic quadriplegia (a form of cerebral palsy).  Jemima's muscles are too tight which means she finds it hard to move and needs help with just about everything. However, like all little girls she really wants to be more independent and to be able to play and keep up with her brothers and her friends.

Jemima has just been accepted for life changing surgery in the U.S.A.. The surgery is called Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) and will involve Jemima undergoing a 5 hour operation during which the surgeon will first identify, and then cut the nerves in her spinal cord which are sending the wrong messages to her legs. With intense rehabilitation, it is hoped that Jemima will be able to walk, stand and sit much more easily. This would mean she would be able to play, learn and do many things all on her own which would be life changing not only for her, but also for her family.

 

Please would you help me to help Jemima's parents raise a combined total of £90,000 for the Tree of Hope. This will help Jemima travel to the U.S.A. for SDR surgery and will provide her with the intense rehabilitation programme which she is going to need and which will make my row seem like a walk in the park!

 

Should we exceed the £90,000 target, the surplus funds raised will go to the general funds of the Tree of Hope in order to assist other sick children, so there will not be a single wasted penny. 

 

Thanks for your support.

 

James 

 

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

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. So it’s the most efficient way to donate – saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

So please dig deep and donate now.