Comrades in the race to leave their Footprints 4 Sam
Five-times finisher and novice take up ultimate challenge for good cause
FRED PLATT breaks down mid-sentence as he shares the story of his son Sam. “Please forgive me but this is a bit emotional for me,” he says as he battles to stop the tears.
His wife, Melissa, bravely takes up the story, only to be overcome by emotion too.
It is common for parents to cry when they talk about a child they lost way too early.
However, what makes Sam’s story different and particularly inspirational is that the couple have taken to using their loss to impact on others in a positive way.
One way they do this is through running. On Sunday, among the at least 20 000 set to line-up at the Durban City Hall for the start of the 92nd Comrades Marathon will be two women “running for Sam”.
Fred, who is a runner himself and having completed the Two Oceans Marathon three times for Sam, won’t be tackling The Ultimate Human Race.
But f ive- t i me f i nisher Catherine Albertyn and novice Katie Scholtz have taken up the challenge.
“Your run means so much more when you are doing it for a charitable cause,” Albertyn says.
Through Footprints 4 Sam – a trust in its final stages of development – the Platts are raising money to purchase a vehicle and employ a driver and a nurse who will be available on the road in Cape Town for Paedspal, a paediatric palliative-care organisation that supports children with life-limiting or life-threatening illnesses at various hospitals in Cape Town.
The Platts are Catherine’s clients and through their interaction she got to know of Sam’s story.Though he only lived for a little over a year having been born with the rare central core disease, Samuel Platt made an impact that is likely to be everlasting – opening his parents’ eyes to a world they didn’t know existed.
“Had it not been for the move from a private to a public hospital we would never have experienced the reality of what other people have to go through,” Fred explains.
Born in April, 2015, Sam spent 15 months in ICU at two different hospitals in Cape Town. “As a father, it was hard for me to stand there powerless even though I could afford to give him the best medical care. It got me thinking: what about the son of a guy in a less fortunate situation than I am?”
When Sam was born, Fred was due to run the Two Oceans Marathon and he considered not going but Melissa insisted he did. “I knew how much he loved running and I told him he should go and it was then that we decided to form the foundation, Footprints 4 Sam.”
Melissa battled to fall pregnant and after medical intervention finally did so – only for their child to be born with a rare disease and dying shortly after his first birthday.
“I remember leaving the ward to go sit in the hallway and there I found another father who had no shoes on. I’ve never felt so close to another man,” Fred recalls.
Melissa adds: “I walked out to find Fred and this man sitting with their arms across each other’s elbows crying. I knew then that no matter how different we can be, there’s a lot that unites us and the threat of losing a child did that for Fred and that man.”
Fred remembers the story of a little boy from the Eastern Cape who was brought to the hospital by his grandmother.
“Shortly after he was admitted the grandmother died and for a while the boy had no one with him at the hospital. And one day I saw him asking the nurse for airtime, which she gave him.
“I discovered that the only family this boy had was an uncle who was out in the Eastern Cape but he was in no position to make the trip to Cape Town. We shared the story with some friends and they helped fly the uncle here. Aware of the boy’s plight, the hospital got him to stay a little longer and he was there when the boy died. He didn’t die alone.”
Fred chose running as a platfor m to raise awareness because of its unifying nature.
“In no other sport do you find women and men, people from all different sectors of life side by side and running together,” says Fred.
“As a father I had hopes for Sam even though I knew the seriousness of his disease. I even had the idea I’d run Two Oceans with him some day.
“This year I ran with a heavy heart after his death on July 22 last year. But every breath I took was about Sam.”
And on Sunday, Catherine and Katie will be inspired by Sam’s memory to make it to the Scottsville Racecourse in Pieter maritzburg. “One of many heartbreaks, during Sam’s jour ney, was the fact that many children were often not visited, because parents could not afford the transport or time off work. We believe no child should be ill and alone, or worse, die alone.”
Here are the bank details if you wish to make a donation to the Footprints 4 Sam: Nedbank, Alberton branch, account name Samuel Platt Legacy, account number 1106380479. Use your full name as a reference.