Why am I taking part

Dimension Data is supporting the Tour de Office and as part of this one of the charities we are supporting is the Jack Edge Connected Classroom Foundation. This is a very special charity to me as my family has be a recipient of the connected classrooms program. To tell you a little about what the foundation does the program works by connecting the kids from their homes back to their classrooms over a secure VC connection so they can attend some classes remotely and keep their friendships on going. My son was was a recipient of the connected classroom set up and it made an immeasurable difference to his life. My son Levi was born with a congenital heart defect, effectively born with half a heart, this resulted in a number of open heart surgeries to prolong his life. This meant he was in and out of hospital for many years. It was a phenomenal and unexpected achievement for Levi to start school. When Levi started school he developed Plastic Bronchitis. Plastics Bronchitis is a result of a build-up of lymphatic fluid (Chyle) in the lungs forming bronchial casts. This makes it incredibly hard to do anything including breath. Over time Levi had to be on a respirator to ensure his airways remained open. At this point Levi was unable to attend school, requiring full time care at home. During this time he visited his friends when he had days that he could make it out of the house. Over time as his health declined it became increasingly harder for him to remain connected with school and his friends. Being a young boy he had so much joy from these interactions, a small moment in time that he was able to enjoy a form of normality. When Levi was later diagnosed as terminal, the Jack Edge foundation came in and reconnected Levi to his classroom and school friend. This transform his quality of life, allowing him to remain connected to his classmates. These moments filled him with joy and hope, knowing he was a part of their lives. He remained connected until he passed away at the young age of 9. His memory lives on even 5 years later as his friend continue to celebrate his life and memory. The Jack Edge foundation did so much for him that his memory lives on through the work they do.