Invest in the Quest originated with the dreams of a passionate young para equestrian and a special group of family and friends.  These special individuals have dedicated themselves to helping to keep the dream alive, and you can be a part of the Team with the purchase of raffle tickets to help defray the high costs of competing at the USEF/USPEA World Equestrian Games Selection Trials.  All money raised goes directly to support Syd’s ParaQuest.

At age 7, Sydney was diagnosed with Wyburn-Mason Syndrome. Wyburn-Mason Syndrome affects less than 0.04 % of the entire world’s population and can cause brain hemorrhaging, stroke, paralysis or death if untreated. The location of the AVM’s (a tangle of blood vessels in the brain or spine) in Wyburn-Mason Syndrome is very dangerous.  Sydney's AVM’s are very deep within the center of her right brain, and along her right optic nerve.  Since her diagnosis, Sydney has had many medical treatments, including multiple staged CyberKnife radiation treatments to her brain and eye; a series of three unplanned brain surgeries; and a second untested course of CyberKnife radiation treatments to remove the AVM’s in her brain. As a result of these treatments, she completely lost the vision in her right eye as well as partially in her left, and suffered a stroke that caused the loss of the use of the left side of her body. Additionally, she has endured countless hours of physical and occupational therapy to relearn to walk and use her left side again.

Every day since her diagnosis, Sydney's medical challenges have tried to keep her down. Her body can often be uncooperative and her medical status can change the blink of an eye. Despite all of this, in true Sydney fashion, she has never given up and has only fought harder to achieve her goals. Now, at age 16, Sydney is blazing a trail towards being a member of both the 2014 Para-World Equestrian Games team, and the 2016 Paralympic team in Rio. She rides to help spread her message  “that through drive, determination, and adaptability dreams can become reality.”

 

Help keep the dream and message alive when you Invest in Quest!

You can learn more about Sydney's journey at http://www.sydsparaquest.com/ and her Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/SydsParaquest