By Brendan Rees
Joel Sardi, 28, had his whole life ahead of him. He was a promising footballer, served with the Australian Army, loved to run, swim, ride, and go to the gym.
But in 2014, Joel became a quadriplegic as a result of an accident. He fell backwards down a spiral staircase, three metres to the ground and fractured his back.To help with his day-to-day life, a five-kilometre fundraiser walk will be held at Cranbourne Royal Botanic Gardens to raise funds for Righteous Pups Australia to train an assistance dog.
The annual Walk to Remember, hosted by the Jared Dunscombe Fund, is held in memory of Jared Dunscombe, a Cranbourne Rotary Club member whose life was tragically cut short at the age of 31 in 2013.
Mr Dunscombe died when he fell from his bike and was struck by a truck and trailer travelling in the same direction while taking part in the Rotary fund-raising event – Ride to Conference.
Mr Dunscombe’s sister Jonelle Colabufalo said Joel had previously applied to every organisation for a mobility assistance dog but their waiting lists were full and closed.
An assistance dog would help with dressing, fetching a blanket, emergency alert bark, getting the phone and more, she said.
“Righteous Pups really wanted to help this young man because he is an excellent example of resilience and a mobility dog would transform his life; by giving him the support and independence he needs to move out of home with his wife (to be), make a good life for himself and give back to his community,” Ms Colabufalo said.
“Joel and his partner Elisa will be there at the walk and so will some of the Righteous Pups team along with some of the dogs for everyone to meet.”
Rotary Club of Cranbourne will be providing a barbecue breakfast at the end of the walk.
The Walk to Remember will be held on Saturday 23 February at 8.30am for an 8.45am start. Registration is $15. For bookings visit jaredfund.org.au/events/walk-to-remember.
