Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Dad hits peak form to raise awareness of daughter’s condition
JEAN WARD
A devoted dad scaled three mountains in less than a day to raise awareness of his daughter’s rare genetic condition.
Coatbridge man Andrew Smith put his “mind, body and soul” into completing the gruelling Three Peaks Challenge to raise funds and awareness of Williams Syndrome, which affects his beloved little girl, Drew.
The dad- of- two was joined on his adventure by friends Alex Coyle and Peter McKay, along with Peter’s 15-year-old son Conel.
The quartet achieved their ascent of Snowdon in Wales, England’s Scafell Pike and the UK’s highest mountain Ben Nevis in less than 24 hours, raising more than £1400 for the Williams Syndrome Foundation in the process.
Andrew, an industrial engineer, told the Advertiser: “We completed the challenge in 23 hours and 19 minutes.
“We started off in Wales, then we did Scafell Pike and drove from there to take on Ben Nevis. It was dark by the time we reached there and we needed torches to do the climb.
“We had all done quite a bit of training on the Scottish Munros beforehand and ran three or four times a week leading up to it. That kind of got us slightly prepared, but it was nothing like doing it.
Andrew continued: “The whole thing was gruelling on mind, body and soul, mainly due to the warm weather and lack of sleep.
“When we did the first two, the temperature was about 30 degrees. It was torture and it was hard going but we got there.”
Williams Syndrome, also known as the “cocktail party” syndrome due to sufferers having a unique zest for life, is a rare congenital disorder which affects one in 18,000 people in the UK. It is nonhereditary and causes distinctive facial characteristics, as well as a wide range of learning difficulties.
Andrew, 33, explained: “It’s a genetic condition and has a lot of health problems like learning difficulties.
“It’s so rare that not many people know about it. That’s why we wanted to get the awareness out there. Drew is happy about everything; she has a unique outlook.”
Andrew’s wife Nichola added: “It affects her in many ways medically but also gives her an insanely positive and happy outlook on life.
“Drew wants to say ‘hi’ and hug every person she meets. She is so happy and friendly but, of course, this can leave her vulnerable.
“We want to raise awareness for her condition so that more people can learn about it and hopefully make her life a little easier.”
To donate to the couple’s JustGiving page visit, www. justgiving. com/ fundraising/ nichola-smith22