Story

I started running two years ago after joining Dragons Running Club. The club are amazing and so supportive of all new runners all lead by volunteers. It’s fair to say it’s changed my life. I am now running my first Cardiff Half Marathon on Sunday 2nd October 2018. And thought what better way to celebrate but to give something back for the fantastic opportunity I have been given. Therefore I am raising funds for an amazing family and the absolutely strong, determined and brave young boy - Rudy Cole. Read his story below x

Rudy's story

Rudy was born with multiple hemangiomas (benign tumours filled with blood) on his face, body and most significantly his brain which was unknown to his family and medical staff initially. At just 1 week old, the hemangiomas in Rudy's brain bled significantly and left Rudy fighting for his life.

A determined Rudy thankfully pulled through after many weeks spent in hospital. The bleed left Rudy with considerable damage to the left side of his brain and a weakness to the right side of his body. He has poor muscular tone and impaired eye-sight which means all the usual milestones are extremely difficult for him to achieve. Rudy suffers from severe epilepsy and for the past 24 months he has been on a special ketogenic diet which has shown great improvement until recently when the seizures have returned.

Despite what Rudy has been through, he is a happy 6 year old boy. And Rudy has made tremendous progress with his mobility due to his bravery and detetmination. To help with Rudy's development and to allow him to gain some independence, his parents Amy and Matthew work hard to raise funds to provide specialist equipment for him and additional therapy sessions. Therefore all the money raised will go to Rudy's Trust Fund to help fund his progress.