Thank you for visiting my fundraising page. I am running the Reading half marathon on Sunday 25th March 2007 in aid of the craniofacial unit charity and the Childrens hospital charity in Oxford (split 50/50) so please dig deep and sponsor me online.

Donating through this site is simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way to sponsor me: Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals Charitable Funds will receive your money faster and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28% in tax will be added to your gift at no cost to you.

Many of you will know what Lucy (our daughter) had to endure in the first 18 months of her life, lurching from one illness to the next a few ending up in admissions to the John Radcliffe childrens wards in Oxford. Lucy then had to undergo major surgery to remodel her skull in August 2005 as she was diagnosed with a condition called Saggital Craniosynostosis. Lucy was one of the "lucky" ones, her condition was non-syndromic which meant that a one-off surgical intervention (although major!) should solve her condition (she will be reviewed every year until about aged 18). Many other children who have other types of synostosis are not so lucky and have to undergo years of painful reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation. This time in our lives was hugely difficult, the uncertainty, the worry, the decision making. It is, and will be for the rest of our lives, an inspiration to us to see how Lucy and other similar kiddies cope so admirably with these conditions.

The Craniofacial team in Oxford and the wider teams on the childrens wards are hugely skilled & committed to the cause. What would we have done without them? Well, we can only wonder, but this is our way of paying something back to them and to the other children they look after.

Thank you so much for spending your time and money to sponsor me.

Adrian

PS If you want to read more about Lucy's story please click here.

PPS If you want an example of another little boy's story who was treated in Oxford please click here. I am sure you will find it both emotional and inspirational.

PPPS If you want more general information about the Craniofacial unit in Oxford and the different craniosynostosis conditions then please click here