Gerard and Bronwyn Schrieff’s son Matthew was born prematurely at 24 weeks during April this year and died four days later of seizures. Upon hearing that the Peninsula Maternity Trust had a shortfall of R35,000 to purchase a new piece of equipment used to monitor brain activity and seizures in newborns, Gerard asked his friends and family to sponsor him in the 100km Karoo to Coast 100km mountain bike race from Uniondale to Knysna on 23 September.
Gerard started in the first group of cyclists and finished in 4hrs 48mins, an amazing achievement! He says:
“The race itself was cool. Starting in the first group meant that the pace was frenetic whilst on the tarred roads of Uniondale before reaching the dirt roads. The climbs and descents were long – some felt like a never ending story. I had to have my wits about me when coming down some of those fast dusty roads on the pass”
Having never had a mechanical breakdown or race-ending crash injury during a race, Gerard was apprehensive about something that like that happening the one time when it would matter most.
“I had a great sense of responsibility to complete the race due to the associated fundraising and all the local media hype that was created during the preceding week. Many people had committed themselves to contribute so I didn’t want to disappoint!”
Through the generosity of friends, family and Consol Glass his employer, Gerard raised R48,000. With the main funding already secured from the Investec Trust Group, a new Olympic Brainz AEEG monitor has now been installed in the Neonatal Unit at Mowbray Maternity Hospital.
We asked Gerard how it felt fundraising in Matthew’s memory: “I often thought of Matthew during the ride, thinking that he’d never be able to experience riding a bike, especially mountain biking with its associated breath-taking views. It felt good to have contributed to making a difference and that in his own way Matthew made, and will continue to make a difference to babies for many years to come. It adds some sort of meaning to his short life; that he has made an impact for the good.”
On behalf of the many, many babies who will benefit from this machine - thank you Gerard! What a tribute to the memory of Matthew Ethan Schrieff.
Media Releases:
Argus: Cyclist turns grief into giving
Argus: State-of-art machine to save prem babies' lives
Cape Times: Man’s bid to help newborns after premature son’s death
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