Volunteer fundraisers for Parkinson’s NSW come in all ages, shapes and sizes… and moves at all speeds.

LtoR Seb’s little brother Toby, Seb, nanma Laura, grandpa, mum Kristin and dad John

12-year-old Sebastian Speziali (known as Sebbie to his family) is both young and fast. He is a skilled and competitive downhill skier who harnesses his sporting talent to raise funds for Parkinson’s research.

Sebbie is inspired in his efforts by his much-loved grandmother Laura Danckwerts who has been living with Parkinson’s for many years.

In 2017 and 2018, Sebbie raised over $3,100 by setting himself skiing challenges and seeking sponsorship via Everydayhero. Over those two years, he skied more than 20,000 vertical metres.

In January this year, he set out to break his own record by skiing 10,000 metres in a single day at Whistler Blackcomb in Canada. He got up in the dark at 5.30am and skied until the last lift scheduled at the end of the day.

The result: Sebbie skied 12,002 vertical metres – a total distance of 58km, the equivalent of one and a half full marathons. This amazing effort raised $2,788.98 for Parkinson’s NSW.

“Sebbie learned to ski at the age of four, so he’s been skiing for eight years. For the past three years he has raced on the school ski team, meaning he’s skied both Northern and Southern hemisphere winters since 2016. He has a lot of experience and training in going really fast!” said his mother Kristin.