Standing With the Jones Family – For Ben, With Love

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I’m fundraising for my very dear friends, Dave & Sharon, and their family after their teenage son, Ben, became critically and unexpectedly unwell in January 2026.

On Saturday 16th May 2026, myself, my family, and my team at Prestons Accountants will be taking on the Inflatable 10K at Brands Hatch to raise as much as we can for this incredible family who are living every parent’s worst nightmare.

Ben’s Story – A Family’s World Turned Upside Down

Nothing can prepare a parent for the moment life changes in an instant.

At the start of January, Ben was a healthy, active, motocross-loving teenager — full of energy, full of personality, full of life. Within days, he was fighting for that life in intensive care.

On 3rd January, Ben woke up feeling extremely unwell: vomiting, shivering, a severe headache, a dangerously high temperature. Sharon did everything any parent would do — caring for him, monitoring him, comforting him, hoping it was just a winter virus.

But it wasn’t.

Despite reassurance from the GP that it was likely viral, Sharon’s instincts told her something was terribly wrong. When Ben deteriorated again, she called NHS 111. An ambulance took him to Medway Hospital, where once again it looked like a viral illness — until Sharon pushed for more tests.

Those tests changed everything.

Ben’s CRP infection level was 267 — a number so high it signalled a serious, hidden danger. A CT scan showed fluid in his sinuses. A lumbar puncture confirmed meningitis.

And then, everything spiralled.

The infection spread to his brain, causing encephalitis and empyema. Ben suffered a stroke that left him with loss of function down his right side. On 8th January, he was blue-lighted to King’s College Hospital, where Dave & Sharon were told their son needed life-saving brain surgery.

Ben underwent an emergency craniotomy and spent days sedated, ventilated, and fighting.

This is a young boy who should have been out riding his bike, laughing with his brother Jack, planning his next adventure. Instead, he was lying in intensive care, his future suddenly uncertain.

The Long Road Ahead....

Ben will remain at King’s College Hospital for months as he undergoes intensive rehabilitation — learning to move, speak, and rebuild his independence.

His recovery will be long, exhausting, and emotionally overwhelming for the whole family. No parent imagines spending months by their child’s hospital bed, juggling fear, hope, exhaustion, and the crushing weight of the unknown.

And yet, Dave & Sharon have shown unimaginable strength. They are doing what any parent would do — fighting for their son with everything they have.

But no family can do this alone.

Why We’re Fundraising-

This fundraiser has been created to help ease the enormous practical and financial pressures that come with long-term hospital care:

-Travel to and from London

-Time away from work

-Rehabilitation costs

-Unexpected expenses

-Potential home adaptations Ben may need in the future

Every donation — no matter the size — is a lifeline. It gives this family breathing room during the darkest chapter of their lives.

How You Can Help-

If you’re able to donate, thank you. Truly. Your kindness will help this family focus on the only thing that matters right now: Ben’s recovery.

If you can’t donate, sharing this page is just as powerful.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for standing with the Jones family.

Lee, Kelly & the Prestons Accountants Team