In February 2022 my 6 year old son Charlie suffered a stroke losing movement in his left side. On investigation this turned out to be a 3^rd stroke, the previous 2 were silent so went unnoticed. He received care at Manchester Children’s hospital and was allowed home fairly quickly and made a good recovery. 

Unfortunately in April 2022 he suffered another 2 strokes which affected his speech and balance so was admitted back to Manchester. Over the following 2 months they diagnosed what was causing the issue which turned out to be a very rare condition called “Bow hunters syndrome” where the neck vertebrae pinch an artery causing blood clots which eventually shift to the brain causing the strokes.

To overcome this Charlie had the top 2 vertebrae in his neck fused together. Following the surgery he’s been doing well with positive test results and ongoing treatment / rehabilitation for his speech and balance.

I’ve been overwhelmed by the treatment and care he received at Manchester Children's hospital and their tireless efforts to diagnose and treat the issue. I want to give something back to the hospital so plan to run the Potters half marathon (one of the toughest in the country) this year (been 7 years and 2 stone since I last did it). I'd like to raise some money for the hospital so if you could sponsor me (no amount is too small) I'd be really grateful.

Thank you Andy