Hello and thank you for visiting my website!

My name is Jenny Symons, but I prefer to call myself “TROUBLE” (a nickname given to me by my parents). I have Cerebral Palsy – a disability resulting from lack of oxygen to the brain in early childhood. In my case, the umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck during a very long labour.

I have had this disABILITY all my life, and there is no “cure” – I have to live with it and make the most of my life. And I have! I’ve won over a hundred medals as a swimmer and field & track athlete, have broken numerous SA records, hold five international medals and have broken two world records.

I’ve worked as a public speaker, swum with dolphins, “run” the Argus, done a bungee jump – and whenever I could, I went to concerts & sports events, meeting various famous people like Sir Cliff Richard, John Denver, Air Supply, Bruce Millar, Jeremy Taylor, Kevin Curren, Johan Kriek and Christo van Rensburg, to name but a few. And in 1993 I started doing art.

My parents were told I wouldn’t reach 30. I am now 63.

My parents were amazing people.  They raised me to do anything a “normal” kid would do, looked after me their whole lives and refused to have me put in a home. But in 2008 my mom died, and in 2012 my dad. I miss them terribly every single day.

My parents saved as much as they could to provide for me after their deaths. But at some point,  the dwindling funds forced me to sell the house I had grown up in and move first to a flat, and eventually to a home. In March 2019, I finally got a vacancy at a home that was in the neighbourhood where I grew up. It was like coming home.

The only problem is that the expenses brought about by my disability are higher than my long term sponsors (friends and family) can cover. You see, Cerebral Palsy is a very, very expensive handicap (check that on google or Wikipedia!)  Under “financial info” you will see a list of my expenses. There are no luxuries – the main expense is the home and medication not covered by the medical fund.

And so, my friends started a yearly fundraiser in which we collect all sorts of contributions, large and small   – and it adds up! It has kept me going financially for and for the past 9 years!

So, if you can chip in, with no matter how small an amount, it would make a HUGE difference to my life!

Please write an e-mail to fundraisingfortrouble[at]gmail.com for my banking details.

Under “financial info” you can find out about our exact goals and the fundraiser’s financial history.

And – if you can please pass on this message to as many people you can – that would also really help.

Thank you! God bless!! And stay out of trouble!!!