Sam Ford was an 18-year-old victim of an unprovoked, alcohol-fuelled assault that left him with an acquired brain injury back in 2009. His initial prognosis was poor, wit
h doctors believing he would probably never leave hospital. Sam proved them wrong, and now lives at home with his family in regional New South Wales. Living on the coast though, means there’s little in the way of paved footpaths, ramps and disabled infrastructure, and so Sam’s family reached out to JMB Foundation for help purchasing a 4WD all-terrain wheelchair.
His mother, Margaret, writes:
Since Sam received his new Extreme X8 All Terrain Wheelchair in October he hasn’t stopped using it. We live in a regional area and we also live on the banks of Cudgen Lake and Nature Reserve. Sam can get in his chair and go and explore the area around our house that he hasn’t been able to do on his own before. He goes and sits on the edge of the lake and watches the swans and birds, which is so lovely as he loves birds.
Most days he takes himself up to the local shops and gets a coffee and goes and sits down at the deck at the beach and has a chat with the locals.
A couple of weeks ago we took Sam away camping to Lennox Head. We loaded up his chair into the ute and took that along with us. Sam hasn’t been camping for over 13 years (family holidays were always camping). It was incredible. He took himself with his dog on his lap and went exploring around the caravan park, over to the beach and around the Lake’s edge. It was so good to see him just being independent and going exploring.
This All-Terrain chair has been life-changing for Sam. Thank you JMB Foundation.
We are very grateful for our supporters who enable the Foundation to make grants available to young Australians, like Sam, who really need our assistance. With your help, we can – and do – make a positive difference to their care, comfort, and quality of life. This has certainly changed Sam’s.
Sam and his dad whilst camping
Sam birdwatching by the lake with his dogs in tow