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Current Appeal
'Bedford is everything to David - it's what has given his life meaning...'
Like any parent, my children are the most important thing in my life. My name is Heather and I would like to share my and my son David's journey with you. David has epilepsy and an intellectual disability and will need support every day for the rest of his life. He suffers fromseizures and could be taken from us at any time.
People often ask what it's like finding out your child has a disability. I tell them to compare the pregnancy to planning your dream holiday. Imagine that you're going to Bali or somewhere else you've always wanted to go. You've worked hard and planned and saved for this holiday. You're so excited - you've talked about it for months. You've packed your bathers, your sarong and your sunhat and you get on the plane - the equivalent of going into hospital to give birth. But when you get off the plane, you realise you're not in Bali. You never considered that the plane would land anywhere else... but actually you've arrived in Holland. You're scared. You don't know what to do. You don't know anything about Holland. You haven't read the guidebooks; you don't speak a word of the language. It's cold and you don't want to be there.
At that point you have two choices. You can ask yourself 'why me?' or, you can say 'well, it looks like I'm in Holland.' You can throw away your bathers, buy a warm jacket and go to see the windmills and the sights. It might not be where you had initially chosen - but this is where your journey has taken you. And when you step outside, you see that the tulips in Holland are really beautiful. Being told my baby has a disability was something I never expected, but that was just the beginning. Disability never goes away - there is no miracle cure! That's why your support is so important - now and in the future.
David has just turned 40. He has never had a partner; he's never moved out of home. He's never had his own family. What David has is Bedford. Bedford is everything to David - it's what has given his life meaning.
'David is encouraged to develop the life skills that you and I take for granted, increase his social network and make his own choices.
Without Bedford, we would be lost.'
When David left school, I worried he wouldn't have a reason to get out of bed in the morning. I was terrified what the future might bring. At Bedford, David is surrounded by friends and people who care about him. Day Options - Bedford's recreational programme - provides vital services for people with high support needs. David is encouraged to develop the life skills that you and I take for granted, increase his social network and make his own choices. Without Bedford, we would be lost.
To now think that David has a happy, fulfilling life is just incredible, he's achieved so much more than I could have ever imagined. Through the Day Options programme he has developed his speech and computer skills and has even got involved with the cooking programme. David enjoys going to the gym and recently celebrated seven years of giving something back to the community through volunteering with a local 'Meals on Wheels' programme. He loves visiting the Central Markets, doing arts and crafts and planting herbs in the garden.
I am not the only parent in this position. There are almost 100 people with a disability in Bedford's Day Options programme across South Australia, but there are still so many more who desperately need Bedford's ongoing support.
Christmas is a time for family and I treasure every Christmas we have with David. Please, show your support so Bedford can continue to create a brighter future for David and his friends.
