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I will be running the Hackney Half Marathon on Sunday 22 May 2022 to raise money for our local hospital, The Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow.  I am fundraising for them because I want to give something back to acknowledge the care they gave to my aunt, Chris, and all of our family back in April 2020.  We can never fully repay them for the care they provided but this event will be a good way to support them as a charity.

As many of you will know, in early April 2020, Chris was taken to hospital with Covid, at a time when there were no vaccines and very little understanding about what the virus could do, let alone how medical professionals could support someone back to full health.  Chris was healthy and without significant underlying conditions but the virus still took hold and meant that she spent weeks in intensive care. During this time, the staff at PAH provided her with a ventilator and cpap to help her lungs to improve and work on their own.  Alongside this, they also set up a service to provide communication to us as the family, and ensured that we received updates twice a day to enable us to feel connected and get much needed information on Chris’ progress.  They also set up a service that enabled you to send in a message to your loved one, which they pass on every day.  These small touches were so important to us as a family during one of the most challenging things we’ve ever experienced.

We consider ourselves to be extremely lucky to have Chris back with us and back to full health.  We will always be grateful to PAH for that.  

I started running the day that we were told Chris would be stepped down from ITU and put onto a regular ward. So it’s taken me almost two years to feel like I can run 13.1 miles and I’m still not 100% sure I can do it! But I know that running gave me an outlet and a distraction at a tough time, but also reminded me how lucky I am to be able to run at all.  This  will be a huge challenge for me and will be the longest distance I’ve ever run.  It would be really appreciated if you’re able to donate anything or even send me your good vibes for the day - I will definitely need them to keep me going through the training and the event itself.

Thank you for reading.

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