Hello, thanks for taking the time to look at my JustGiving page. If you know me, you will appreciate I’m not the athletic type but despite this I have decided to run the Sheffield Half Marathon again this year. I last ran this is 2011, but this year it’s different – this year I am running it for ‘The Children’s Hospital Charity’ (TCHC), with the aim of raising some money for Sheffield Children’s Hospital (SCH).      

SCH and the staff there all hold a very special place in my heart, as some of you know – my son Oliver spent the first couple of months of his life in intensive care there. He was born with a serious bowel disorder called ‘Hirschsprung’s Disease’, this was missed by the hospital he was born in and by the time it was diagnosed - he was extremely unwell and needed life-saving care and major surgery.

Oliver was transferred to Sheffield Children’s Hospital 3 days after birth, his condition diagnosed within hours and a plan made to get him ready for surgery asap - the next obstacle was that he was malnourished, dehydrated and heavily infected. He was treated in the ICU/NSU ward for a total of 6 weeks, during that time we were allocated accommodation in the hospital itself at Magnolia House.

During this time, myself and Tracy had to put our working lives on hold and focus on getting Oliver better whilst making sure our daughter Sofia could continue day to day in as normal a way as possible. This was made much easier with the help of understanding employers, and unquestioned support from family and friends. Looking back, it was hell but luckily Oliver was too young to remember it.

After major surgery on 19.11.2014, Oliver had monthly check-ups and a few follow up procedures in theatre to check everything was healing and working as it should. Now he is a normal 7-year-old boy to the naked eye full of energy and mischief, you wouldn’t know he’s lucky to be here. Today, Oliver’s condition is controlled by medication but we owe everything to SCH and the heroes working within.

Now you know Oliver’s story, it leads nicely back on to mine. Having recently turned 40 I decided to get off my arse and get back into shape. In July last year I joined a local boot camp where I met some fantastic people, this led me to rediscover mountain biking and start running for the first time since having kids. In the past 6 months I have lost 3.5 stone and feel like I am in my 20’s again health wise.

I am aiming to raise a total of £500 for TCHC by running in the Sheffield Half Marathon 2022. All of the money raised will be given to the ‘The Children’s Hospital Charity’, allowing them to buy much needed medical supplies for Sheffield Children’s Hospital. Any donations are gratefully received and will go towards buying specialist equipment so the staff can continue working miracles every day.

Thank you for your time.

Rob. x

Hirschsprung’s Disease: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hirschsprungs-disease/

Sheffield Children’s Hospital: https://www.sheffieldchildrens.nhs.uk/

The Children’s Hospital Charity: https://www.tchc.org.uk/