West Way Managing Director, Jon Roberts said: ““It’s a fantastic feeling to be back at events like this supporting the amazing work WellChild do. The Ed Chamberlin Golf Day always has a special feel to it and it gives West Way the perfect platform to showcase our vehicles in a superb setting.”
The Longest Drive challenge was inspired by the length that some WellChild families have to go to in order to get the treatment they need for their seriously ill children.
Children like, ten-year-old Oliver who has alternating hemiplegia of childhood (AHC), an ultra-rare condition affecting less than one in a million people. It causes episodes of weakness in every muscle in Oliver’s body, from arms and legs to his breathing, and can last anywhere from a couple of hours to several days. Some episodes he never fully recovers from.
Oliver’s condition means that on a regular basis his family has to travel the 257km roundtrip from Southampton to see the only specialist for his condition in the country at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London. This is a huge journey for a ten-year-old and this has more of an impact now than ever before as he is much more fatigable now.
Oliver has to miss a day of school to attend his appointments and has to take the following day off to recover from the journey. This has a big impact on the whole family. His dad cannot make every trip as he must take leave from work to do so, and childcare arrangements need to be made for his younger sister Alisia. As Oliver is getting older, he now requires two people to help him transfer out of his chair, meaning his dad has to take more time off work to help Oliver’s mum.
Making the trip multiple times a year is expensive and often impractical, but absolutely necessary.