Running the London Landmarks Half Marathon for Matilda and Evelina Children’s Hospital

Our daughter, Matilda, was born with an extremely rare condition called Hirschsprung’s Disease. In Matilda’s case, the condition was particularly severe, affecting all of her large bowel and a significant portion of her small bowel. Only 1–2 children in the UK each year are born with Hirschsprung’s Disease this severe.

Nothing during pregnancy indicated that Matilda had this condition. Shortly after she was born, our world changed completely. Matilda underwent two major surgeries lasting 11 and 12 hours, during which surgeons removed the non-functioning sections of her bowel. As a result, she was left with just 82cm of functioning small bowel.

Matilda lives with an ileostomy (stoma), a Hickman line that delivers life-sustaining nutrition and treatment directly into her bloodstream, and a gastrostomy, which is now used to administer her medication. Throughout her journey, she has faced challenges that most adults would struggle to comprehend, yet she continues to meet them with incredible strength and determination.

The care Matilda has received from Evelina Children’s Hospital has been nothing short of extraordinary. The doctors, nurses and specialists have helped save her life, supported our family through the most difficult times imaginable, and continue to provide the care she needs today.

Despite everything she has been through, Matilda is a happy, determined little girl who inspires us every single day. She is our little fighter.

I am running the London Landmarks Half Marathon to raise money for Evelina Children’s Hospital as a way of saying thank you for everything they have done for Matilda and our family, and to help ensure that other children facing life-changing conditions receive the same outstanding care.

Every donation, no matter the size, will make a difference and is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for supporting Matilda’s journey and helping Evelina Children’s Hospital continue their incredible work.

Every year more than 104,000 children and young people experience the wonderful warmth of Evelina London, which is part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. They see first-hand the care and passion of the Evelina London team who are exploring new approaches and creating ground-breaking care for children and young people.

To give you an idea of the impact of your donation:

£20 could help put a child's mind at ease with imaginative toys, books and games that explain what happens in hospital.

£50 could help the team put together amazing rucksacks full of distraction toys for every ward and department.

£100 could give every child the chance to escape into their favourite film, by buying more DVD players with headphones.

Thank you so much for your support!