August 1991 and everything changed.
I was 10 and on holiday at the family caravan in the New Forest with my Mum, little Sister and Grandma. I had a head cold and had been bugging Mum that I couldn’t breathe all day, so she gave me a small bowl filled with hot water and Vicks.
I’m not really sure what happened, I guess I caught the bowl with the towel and knocked it over, the steaming water pouring straight into my lap.
It was only the quick thinking of my Mum that saved me from something even worse - trackie bottoms stripped off and cold water poured over me.
Then we drove to the nearest hospital while little Sister and Grandma waited at the caravan. This being before mobile phones they were in for a long anxious wait.
We on the other hand were on our way to the Burns Unit at Salisbury Hospital. The best in the country and not that far away. I would spend the next 6 weeks there, (what a waste of a summer holiday!) with many more visits to follow over the next few years.
While I was there I had a skin graft which took skin from the back of my legs to place on my scolds, along with physiotherapy to stretch the new skin.
It is only due to the care of the staff there that I can even think of running a marathon today. The first time I got out of bed after the accident I couldn’t even stand straight. Apparently I “looked like a duck” bent over like that, thanks Sis.
So with the NHS needing all the help it can get it is time for me to give something back to the Unit which gave me back my life. Please help me to say thank you for getting me back on my feet and allowing me to lead a normal life.
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Why Loch Ness?
My regular runs are in the countryside, through woodland, fields and heathland. Town and City races might have more people and noise to keep you going, but thats not what I love about running.
I know that I'll find the views of the loch and surrounding countryside equally inspiring, something that'll stay with me far longer than the tower blocks of some town.
Race day: Sunday 23rd September 2018
