What we're raising funds for

We're raising funds to help my husband Mark get to Finland to represent Australia in wheelchair curling at the World B Championships later this year. As a developing sport in Australia, wheelchair curling currently receives little government or federal funding, which means athletes selected to represent their country are personally responsible for covering travel, accommodation, meals and uniforms. We're asking for help to cover these costs so Mark can compete on the world stage in the green and gold.

Why we care about it

Just over three years ago, Mark sustained a C4 spinal cord injury that changed our lives overnight. What followed was a long road of rehab, setbacks and small wins, and learning to accept that life looks different now. Along the way, adaptive sport became one of the most powerful parts of Mark's recovery — not just physically, but in helping him rediscover purpose and find a community again after everything changed. Wheelchair curling gave him back a sense of competition, teamwork and identity that injury had taken away. Watching him go from learning to push a stone from a wheelchair to being selected to represent his country has been one of the proudest moments of our lives, and we want to help him get there.

How we plan to make it happen

We've set up this fundraiser through the Australian Sports Foundation so that every contribution — big or small — goes directly toward Mark's travel, accommodation, meals and competition uniform for the World B Championships in Finland. Donations made through the Foundation are tax deductible, which we hope makes it easier for people to get behind him. We'll be sharing updates as the campaign progresses and as Mark prepares for competition, so donors can follow the journey all the way to Finland.

Who we are

We're Mark and his family — a fairly ordinary Australian family who, over the past three years, has quietly found our own way through the physical and financial realities of life after spinal cord injury, without ever asking for help. This is the first time we've put our hands up and asked for support, because this opportunity means more to Mark than words can really capture. Thank you for considering being part of getting him to Finland.