The DSA recently contacted Jackson Down (6) and his father Chris Down from Oxfordshire to help with his Emirates F.A Cup dream.
Jackson is suffering from an undiagnosed genetic condition and embarked on a dream journey at the start of the season, to attend a match in every round of the Emirates F.A Cup. With the help of the Amber DSA, Jackson attended County's win yesterday against Cambridge. He absolutely loved it!
The organisation SWAN UK also played a huge part in helping Jackson's dreams come true.
Established in 2011 thanks to a five-year grant from the Big Lottery Fund, SWAN UK (syndromes without a name) is the only dedicated support network available for families of children and young adults with undiagnosed genetic conditions in the UK. It is run by the charity Genetic Alliance UK.
Now that Jackson's health is stable, Chris (Jackson's father) wanted some Father & Son time and to give Mum a break from constant 24/7 care, that is when they started on their Emirates F.A Cup journey!
Thanks to SWAN's brilliant history of making children's wishes come true combined with the Amber DSA's constant hard work, Jackson could enjoy yesterday's fantastic win in the Second Round stage of their journey.
The pair travelled to Woodley United for their first F.A Cup game, their local team's first ever FA Cup campaign at Home to Tuffley Rovers. Woodley lost 2-1 to Tuffley meaning Jackson and Chris followed the winners against Leighton Town. They continued to watch winners of each round travelling to:
- Leighton Town F.C
- Gosport Borough F.C
- Swindon Supermarine F.C
- Paulton Rovers F.C
- Cambridge United F.C
Jackson loves the atmosphere of football games and he particularly enjoyed hearing the drum yesterday, according to his father! The pair are hopeful of attending County's Third Round match, wherever we are drawn. Jackson would love to go all the way to the F.A Cup final and with the help of SWAN UK, here at Newport County AFC we are hopeful they do so!
Chris would like to encourage others to reach out to their local clubs and Disabled Supporters Associations (DSA's) about attending games after the fantastic response they have personally had from the clubs they have visited so far.
Follow Jackson's father on twitter to follow the pair's journey - @mrchrisdown
We are glad you had such a good time Jackson, you are welcome back to Rodney Parade any time at all!