Two men swim Lake Windermere for Save Samantha

Two Rochdale men swam the entire 17km length of Lake Windermere for Save Samantha on Sunday (2 September).

Paul Mears and Danny Hirst, who raised over £7,500 for the appeal last year by swimming between Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, completed the challenge in just under six hours.

https://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/138/community-news/114304/paul-mears-and-danny-hirst-raise-over-%C2%A37500-for-save-samantha-appeal-with-canary-island-swim

The Save Samantha appeal was set up to help mother-of-two Samantha Smith from Smithy Bridge raise an urgently-needed £150, 000 towards lifesaving neurosurgery.

The brave mother-of-two from Smithy Bridge, 31, underwent three extensive surgeries last summer after her brain and spinal cord were being crushed under the weight of her own skull. Unfortunately, the operations did not have the success rate anticipated, meaning Samantha requires another operation in the US.

Many symptoms that were present prior to the psychotherapist’s first operation have returned, such as persistent pain, tremors, abnormally fast and slow heart rates, dislocations, trapped nerves and spinal cord damage.

Samantha is in the process of looking at options with a different surgeon in America, rather than returning to her previous one.

Saving Samantha

Rochdale Online has closely followed Samantha’s journey since April 2017, when we broke the news of her desperate race to raise £150,000 for lifesaving neurosurgery, due to a number of medical conditions such as EDS, unstable vertebrae and lack of connective tissue support between her skull and spine.

Samantha underwent three lifesaving operations that summer, but despite a high success rate, the surgeries failed to stabilise her upper vertebrae and head as expected.

Sam was later given the devasting news that she will require another extensive and aggressive operation that will restrict all movement in her head and neck.

There is also the devastating possibility that psychotherapist Samantha, whose joints still continue to dislocate all over her body, will require a full spinal fusion, further removing all movement from her spine, head and neck.

To sponsor, visit:

https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/danny-paul-bigswim