Firstly, I’d like to thank Great Ormond Street for giving me the opportunity to be a part of the 2026 London Marathon team.

Why am I running for GOSH?

Being a young energetic child all I ever wanted to do was play football and be outside. Causing my parents no end of worry being as accident prone as I was there was never a dull moment.

At the age eight I was taken ill after my parents noticed significant swelling around my legs and much lower energy levels than they were used to seeing, add to that an inability to move around as normal. This prompted a trip to our local GP and from that appointment my parents were asked to take me straight to hospital where the doctors began trying to diagnose what the issue could be. After many hours at my local hospital, it was decided that I would be blue lighted to Great Ormond Street where I would stay to continue diagnosis and treatment. Following a biopsy the Doctors were able to diagnose me with nephrotic syndrome. Nephrotic syndrome even today is very rare in children with 1 in 50,000 being diagnosed each year. It is usually something that is later developed in children with a history of HSP which I had when I was six. Doctors had warned my parents that potential kidney failure could result later, which in my case it did.

Due to Nephrotic Syndrome being rare in children at the time there was a lot of uncertainty around which treatment would work. I became part of a study including five other children conducted by a Swiss Doctor who was studying in the UK at the time.

As part of my treatment there was a daily intake of many different types of medicine including steroids that meant I was very swollen and found it hard to move around easily(pics in gallery). I was also placed on a salt free diet which meant every meal had to be meticulously prepared with the upmost attention given to not adding any salt or products that would contain high levels of salt.

Fast forward five weeks I was discharged from hospital but still under the close attention of the medical staff, this would remain the case for a further four years. I went into full remission at the age of twelve after making a full recovery from my illness with no medical issues since.

Joining the GOSH 2025 London Marathon Team has given me the opportunity to reflect on my time spent at Great Ormond Street. When I think back despite being very ill, I have nothing but fond memories of the staff and other children around me. The team somehow made being in hospital an enjoyable experience constantly keeping us all entertained with regular learning activities, story times at night and competitions with the in house GOSH radio station.

I don't think I will ever find the words to describe just how grateful I am to have been cared for by so many excellent people at Great Ormond Street. The Doctors that took care me did an incredible job that has allowed me to go on and live a healthy life and have a family of my own

During the run up to the London Marathon I plan on raising as much money and awareness as possible for a cause that has done so much for me.

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