$1 million milestone in memory of Sam

The Roberts family have been generous, dedicated and inspiring fundraisers for the WCH Foundation since 2006 with their Cycle 4 Sam community.

Cycle 4 Sam is inspired by Marty and Michelle Roberts’ son, Sam, and the incredible legacy they have created since he sadly passed away in 2005, just before his fifth birthday, from a very rare, neurological degenerative condition called Niemann-Pick Disease Type C.

Since then, the Roberts family have supported families like theirs who are going through the challenges of having a sick child in hospital.

The Roberts family at the first Cycle 4 Sam fundraiser in 2006, and then at their most recent nearly 20 years later.

This year, they held a Spring Challenge, encouraging the community to take on their own personal challenge and raise vital funds for families who need it most.

Participants could break a habit, take on a fitness challenge, or try their hand at something new or unique.

There were so many amazing challenges this year, such as:

• Roger cycled three repeats of the toughest cycling climb in the Adelaide Hills – the notorious Corkscrew.
• Margaret, Sam’s grandmother, walked more than 1km every day for 30 days in a row. She particularly loved walking to the finish line at the WCH with her granddaughter and Sam’s sister, Lucy.
• Russell, Sam’s grandfather, walked 15km from Port Adelaide to the WCH with his daughter and Sam’s aunty, Susan.
• Michelle, Sam’s mum, walked their beautiful family dog Albie 5km a day for 24 days. Albie loved smelling all the spring flowers and rolling in freshly cut grass.
• Jacob played 24 hours of non-stop golf, clocking up seven rounds, 126 holes and 70km walked.
• Judy, Sam’s nanna, led a team of knitters to create a Cycle 4 Sam inspired rug.

Sam Roberts.

Thanks to the efforts of each and every fundraiser, the Cycle 4 Sam community reached an incredible milestone of $1 million raised to help women, children and families supported by the Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

With a particular focus on supporting families under the care of the Paediatric Palliative Care Service, these funds in the past have supported things like Art Therapy, the construction of the Sam Roberts Family Care Room, and support for our Laklinyeri Beach House.

Now, the Sam Roberts Family Fund will also contribute to the Alongside: Grief and Loss Program, a new initiative aimed at providing bereavement care and support for families experiencing the loss of a child.

Michelle and Marty say, “Sam would be very proud.”

Celebrating this incredible milestone.