What started out as a trip of a lifetime two years ago for Tyren Edwards of Mandurah in Western Australia has blossomed into dozens of friendships, unimaginable on- and off-water experiences and now an opportunity to bring his kids to the United States to experience what he calls the coolest event in the world—the Desert Storm Poker Run in Lake Havasu City, Ariz.
Tyren Edwards is hoping to bring his daughters, Isla (left) and Keely from Australia to the Desert Storm Poker Run in 2016.
And while it’s depressing to think that a 2016 visit could potentially be the 41-year-old’s last trip to the largest performance boating event on the West Coast, that’s also the reason many of the friends he’s met in Lake Havasu the past two years are stepping in to help raise enough money to pay for the travel expenses to bring Edwards and his daughters, Keely, 10, and Isla, 8, and their mom, Sam, out to Lake Havasu next April.
Unfortunately Edwards has Spinal Muscular Atrophy, which is essentially a muscle deteriorating disease, and his condition has progressed to the point of no return, according to his doctors.
Once Brad Macaulay, a Canadian boater who has owned several models from DCB Performance Boats and other builders, received that news from Edwards last week, he offered to pay his expenses to ensure he could be a part of another Desert Storm. Upon relaying the information to his friend, Rob Blair, the owner of DCB Performance Boats who got to know Edwards at the 2014 poker run, Blair jumped on board immediately and offered to cover more of the trip expenses.
and then