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Poppy's Dream

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On Sunday June 26th Poppy Jones and her father Rob will take part in the Cardiff Triathlon together to raise money for Cerebra

On Sunday June 26th Poppy Jones and her father Rob will take part in the Cardiff Triathlon together to raise money for Cerebra. But they will face an additional challenge - ten year old Poppy has cerebral palsy and Rob will be pulling/pushing Poppy around the course using custom made equipment specially designed by Cerebra Innovation Centre.

 

Ten year old Poppy was born with quadriplegic cerebral palsy and chronic lung disease. She can’t sit, stand, roll or support herself and life is a daily challenge for her. She has suffered many health problems over the years and there have been times when doctors didn’t think she would pull through.

 

But having a life-limiting condition doesn’t stop Poppy having fun. Poppy is a determined character with a great sense of humour. Her sense of adventure knows no bounds, and she is a real thrill seeker and adrenaline junkie. She has a true competitive spirit.

 

Rob, meanwhile is facing a challenge of his own in getting fit for the event. He has never taken part in a triathlon before and isn’t a regular swimmer, runner or cyclist. At Christmas he could only manage two lengths of the local swimming pool and is using his ancient bicycle to train.

 

Mum Rachel, along with the rest of the family and friends, are right behind Poppy and Rob and are fully supporting them all the way, providing all the back-up and help they need. Rob’s motivation for doing this is simply to help his daughter: “taking part in this triathlon is so exciting for her and psychologically it will really benefit her. She gets so frustrated at the limits her condition puts on her and this will really focus her mind on what she can do. Poppy doesn’t think ‘I can’t’ but rather ‘with a little help I can’. I’ve got my work cut out though as Poppy doesn’t want to just take part – she wants to win!”

 

 

Welsh Triathlon and organisers Always Aim High Events are full supportive of Poppy and Rob's challenge. 

 

Amy Jenner from Welsh Triathlon said "Welsh Triathlon are fully committed to making sure everyone can achieve their Triathlon challenge. This is a dual challenge - both Rob's amazing physical challenge and Poppy's determination to experience life at its full. 

 

Dr Ross Head, Product Design Manager at CIC, explains “It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to be a part of this challenge. It is incredibly humbling to be around someone like Poppy- she is bright, bubbly, smiles all the time, she doesn’t complain about her situation, she just gets on and makes the best of every situation. When we met with Rob he was very emotional at the level of support and enthusiasm we showed towards them. But it is the same for us, to be able to help them achieve this impressive task really will be a moment to remember”.

 

The University of Wales Trinity St David, who are project partners in CIC, are also fully supporting Rob and Poppy’s challenge. The University’s renowned health and sports specialists Dr Peter Herbert and Nalda Wainwright, who coach elite athletes in their high performance laboratory, will be giving advice to Rob and Poppy on their training programme. 

 

The Poppy's Dream Team will be on ITV Wales this evening at 6:00pm (23rd June 2016) for some triathlon chat.

 

Why not come along to the Cardiff triathlon on Sunday and show your support for Poppy and Rob. 

 

To find out more about Cerebra click here 

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