Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

My Story

I cannot begin to describe the gratitude and thanks I have for the staff of Sunderland Royal Hospital. They have been there for me and my family through some of the best and worst days of my life so far.

The happiest days of course were the births of my son’s, both were born in Sunderland and I could not fault the service and care we received in any way.

As for the bad days…..

The first was back in 2013 when my youngest son Lewis fell from a swing at a neighbours garden and broke his arm clean in half about a centimetre above his elbow. It was in the evening and was that severe he required emergency surgery to prevent him losing his arm due to blood circulation issues caused by the break. After a lengthy operation he was put back together and now has little to no issues with his arm.

The second was in 2014 when my eldest son Callum had put his hand down on a glass which smashed and went into his wrist. It was bad… severing his Ulna artery, Ulna nerve and surrounding tissues. Again this required emergency surgery which took several hours and took a long time to repair the damage done, his recovery was hard work but he now has full use of the hand and the nerve damage is minimal. You would never tell it even happened.

Finally, those of you who know me will know I suffered quite a serious injury of my own in August 2015, I broke my Calcaneus (heel bone) quite badly and required surgery. After an accident whilst Mountain biking, 2 weeks in Hospital and having 9 pins/screws and fixings put in place to keep my Heel bone together, I was left uncertain of my future… Would my foot repair after the surgery? would I be able to walk properly again? Would I be able to run, bike ride etc. From what I was told the odds were not good at all of getting good mobility back in the foot as the smashed heel bone pieces had been pushed up into my ankle joint causing muscle and ligament damage. I may have had to wear special shoes or even lose toes or possibly my foot if circulation was poor after surgery.

The following Months after the injury, surgery, recovery and undergoing physio sessions were tough times but the support and help from the staff was exceptional.

Then in November that year, by pure chance and possibly fate I had the opportunity to adopt a little puppy Border Collie by the name of Skye. I understood she would need a lot of exercise each and every day, would need time spent on training and would be ready and wanting to go out anytime, anywhere, whatever the weather. I knew straight away that she was right for me and would get me on the right track.

Little did I know that this little girl would change my life for the better and help me recover far beyond my expectations. I owe a lot of my recovery to her, we’ve spent time training and building up distance on our walks. Now we walk several miles each day no problem at all, we go away on regular adventures, hiking, hill walking, wildcamping and getting out and about in general. She’s my best friend and my shadow, she never leaves my side (even just pops to the shops with me in the car! haha) I love her to bits.

I never once thought I would have this level of movement back in my foot and feel blessed that I still have the opportunity be active. I would love to give something back the Hospital for all their help and hopefully assist them in continuing the excellent work and service they provide for our community.

With this in mind I’ve been thinking of what I could do to raise funds in a way that shows what can be done even after an injury like my own.

After much thought, I believe that with some training and preparation I am capable of completing the National 3 Peaks in 3 days challenge. The highest peaks in England, Wales and Scotland over three consecutive days.

Of course I will be doing this with Skye… I could not do it without her! She will be by my side throughout and I’m sure will love every minute of it just as much as me.

I’ve set a date of 26th July to start the challenge:

26th – Snowdon - Wales

27th – Scafell Pike - England

28th – Ben Nevis – Scotland

I will be funding the trip myself so 100% of any sponsorship money and donations to my Just giving page will go the City Hospitals Sunderland Charity (more specifically to Sunderland Royal Hospitals Trauma and Orthopaedics)

My target is £550 but I would like to think we could surpass this and raise more money for this worthy cause. I’m sure each of you reading this have your own story whereby you or your relatives or even friends have needed the help of Sunderland hospital and I would like to think you have the same level of respect for them as myself.

I ask if you could please give generously. As much as you can or even just a small amount to show your gratitude, it would be greatly appreciated.

You can donate on my Justgiving page or you can get in touch with me personally to donate using good old fashioned sponsorship forms if you wish.

I will be posting updates on my readiness for the challenge and also how the challenge itself goes.

Many thanks

Chris

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