On the 22nd of May 2013, Michael Blyth suffered a horrific spinal injury whilst mountain biking in Sunbury, Victoria. This has resulted in paralysis from the abdomen down.
To add to the tragedy, Michael was uninsured.
Soon after Michael's accident, Michael's mum Kathryn reached out to Sunbury CC to see whether the cycling community could get behind Michael and help out, both from a fundraising perspective, but more importantly, as a show of support.
Michael wasn't a member of SCC and many of us hadn't met him. He was a Sunbury resident and worked in the local bike shop, The Angry Butcher. We wanted to help but knew that doing something small wasn't really going to cut it, particularly as Michael was relatively young and now faced dealing with a paralysis that will impact him the rest of life.
Fast forward 12 months.. Michael's well into his rehabilitation, getting stuck into music production which is his other great passion in life, and we now have a project worthy of Michael and his family's situation.
Michael and his best mate Jack are avid Mountain Bikers. Jack is also a course designer and has recently helped design and build the Cairns World Cup Downhill course.
To say that Mike and Jack are stoked to be helping design and get a Cyclocross Race Series up is an understatement.
Our stated aim is to fundraise to provide Michael with a wheelchair modified car, so as to go some way to restoring a small portion of his mobility and give him some independence. We have no idea how long this will take and are hopeful that a sponsor might materialise and work some magic.
Mike has an important message to all riders. MAKE SURE YOU ARE COVERED. Many people don't realise that a crash that doesn't involve a car generally means there is no TAC insurance. Join a club and be covered by insurance 24/7 so that if you are ever injured, you don't face the same situation as Mike & his family.
More info about Michael Blyth, and how to donate, can be found on his website http://www.michaelblyth.com.au/
'Fields of Joy CX'
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