On Saturday 15 March, Sandy Murphy stepped outside her comfort zone and abseiled 100ft off the world’s first and only rotating boat lift, the Falkirk Wheel in Scotland. She tells us about her grandson Frazer and how he inspired her to sign up for the challenge.
From cake sale to abseil: fundraising in support of my grandson
My grandson Frazer lives with congenital nemaline myopathy, a rare condition which causes muscle weakness, breathing problems and feeding problems. We knew something was wrong very early on, but it took a while to get a diagnosis.
Frazer is 11 now and was diagnosed a few years ago, aged five.
“He relies on a ventilator at night to help with his breathing, is fed through a PEG tube in his stomach, and uses a powerchair, although he can walk short distances.”
He’s a lovely boy, very considerate of others and never complains. In a lot of ways, he’s just like all other boys his age. He loves his computer games, enjoys baking, plays football in his powerchair, and goes to a mainstream school. However, he tires very easily and the things most of us take for granted cause him consistent pain and fatigue.
“But despite the challenges he faces he always pushes himself to do things, so me fundraising and doing this abseil was the least I could do!”
I’ve previously raised money by baking and organising cake sales but wanted to do something outside my comfort zone. So, when I saw the Falkirk Wheel Abseil, I thought ‘why not?’ My youngest son Euan and four of my friends, Linda Anderson, Pauline Doucey, Sandra Johnston and Grace McMillan agreed to do it with me and it’s been a real team effort. We were thrilled to have raised almost £2,000 as a team, which will help fund life-changing support for people in Scotland living with muscle wasting conditions.
This is important to me as Muscular Dystrophy UK has been a real lifeline, especially in the early days, helping to navigate some very difficult and often frightening times. As a family, we’re incredibly grateful for the work the charity does – the support and research, and I hope this fundraising goes some way to help so that other families can benefit.
“I take my inspiration from Frazer. He never complains and just gets on with things.”
I was a bit nervous about the abseil as I don’t love heights, but it was an amazing experience! There was real team spirit on the day and the whole family were there to support us. Frazer was so proud, and we were doing it for him.
I think it’s fair to say I’ve got the fundraising bug!
Support Sandy's fundraising
By supporting Sandy’s abseil fundraiser, you’ll be contributing to life-changing support for people in Scotland living with muscle wasting conditions.
Inspired by Sandy's story?
Find out how you can get involved and change the future of muscle wasting conditions.
