Sarah de Lagarde
Investment Week is very pleased to be supporting Sarah de Lagarde, global head of communications at Janus Henderson Investors, and London's Air Ambulance as our chosen charities for fundraising for the Fund Manager of the Year Awards 2023.
Sarah's story has touched a lot of people both within and outside the investment industry, while she continues to inspire many others with her positive approach towards addressing the huge challenges she is facing on her journey to recovery.
Just weeks after climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, Sarah was involved in a tragic accident on the London Underground coming home from work on a rainy evening last September, when she lost her footing and fell down the gap between the platform and the train onto the tracks.
Nobody saw her and she was run over by two trains before she was finally rescued. Sarah was told she "could have died at least ten times" that night and it was thanks to the prompt actions of London's Air Ambulance that she survived.
However, Sarah suffered life-changing injuries as a result of the accident and now needs a prosthetic right arm and leg. She has started bravely on her rehabilitation journey, which involves weekly visits to specialist clinics, and countless hours spent with doctors, physios, prosthetists and psychologists.
We would like to support her and help provide funds for the equipment she desperately needs to resume an active life with her two young daughters and her husband. This equipment costs thousands of pounds, especially to buy the most technologically-advanced versions, which would really improve her quality of life. In particular, Sarah would like help to buy a running blade.
We would love to be able to help Sarah through the Fund Manager of the Year Awards, as well as support the vital work of London's Air Ambulance, which treated 1,977 patients last year and helps five seriously injured patients a day.
Sarah commented: "Without the extraordinary support from the NHS, particularly the London Air Ambulance, I would not be alive today. I met with the team who saved my life during my rehabilitation in the trauma ward of the Royal London Hospital, and the dedication and selflessness of these men and women struck me. For them, every life is precious, and every second counts. As a charity, the teams rely heavily on private funding, and with their helicopter needing to be replaced by next year, every donation goes towards a critical emergency service.
"I am now back home, at work, and trying to reclaim my former self. I've had to relearn to do various things, including walking and writing with my left hand. My next goal is to learn how to run again with the help of a running blade so I can keep up with my daughters!"
We will be fundraising for Sarah and London's Air Ambulance on the night but it would be great to bring the asset management industry together to support these great causes before the event too.
To make a donation to Sarah and London's Air Ambulance Charity, please visit this link: https://bmalive.co.uk/fmya23/pledge
For more information on the Fund Manager of the Year Awards 2023, click here.
