After hospital admissions and an unnerving time, Sam was eventually diagnosed with complex severe bronchiectasism, requiring intense periods of daily physiotherapy and uncomfortably doing ten breaths to cough up the fluid blocking his lungs every morning and night.

Sam had to adjust to life-changing impacts:

“The change to the daily routine was the hardest. We didn’t know what we were doing. It took over our lives.

“Travel is a challenge.

“It’s been a big shift financially.

“It’s hard balancing the home-schooling and social bubbles.”

Taking it in his stride

Sam began going to circus school before his diagnosis and took up the daring trapeze. Inspiringly, Sam continued to fly and showed that having a serious illness and only two-thirds of a normal lung capacity wouldn’t stop him doing what he loves! He even got up to some sneaky tricks above everyone’s heads – including the hospital staff – who told Sam he could visit his friends, when in fact he went trapezing!

Sam has now taken his passion higher - quite literally – as he is studying a level 2 BTEC through circus school and is proactively furthering his education at home: