I had a terrible accident last year.
I fell into a pond while at a friends house and was only saved because my Mummy is a hero! She found me, face down in the water, pulled me out, and gave me the kiss of life to get me breathing again. Two days later I walked out of the hospital without any physical or mental scars, largely because of the excellent care I received while I was at the Evelina Childrens Hospital (ECH).
Every child that suffers a traumatic accident within sixty miles of London is transferred to Great Ormond Street or the ECH. Most people have heard of Great Ormond Street, fewer will have heard of ECH. The ECH is on constant standby and is equipped to deal with very sick children. While it is NHS funded the ECH relies on private fund raising for a lot of its specialist equipment.
The picture of me was taken at a time when Mummy and Daddy did not know what was going to happen to me. They had been told that I might not regain conciousness or, if I did, I could be disabled or mentally handicapped. This was the longest night of their lives. The hospital and staff were amazing, they monitored and cared for me around the clock, never leaving me for a second.
I hope that something like this never happens to anybody you know, but I also hope my story prompts you to help in the following ways. 1. Support Mummy, Daddy, Mark, Chelsea, Eddie, Ian, Phillip, Charlotte and David on their run. 2. If you have never had any first aid training, get on a course, without this basic training my Mummy would not have been able to save me. 3. If you own a pair of trainers,and fancy doing the St Albans half marathon - join us and help raise more money! (Daddy will buy you a pint after!)
We later found out that I had been under the water for six minutes, not all children are so lucky.
Thank you
Jack Rodea - (3 in May)
