I am Abraham George from the CMC Vellore MBBS batch of 1973.

In April 2026 I will be running the London Marathon My Way, covering the full 26.2 miles around Hyde Park and Central London. This will be run on the TCS app that deactivates when the 26.2 miles (42 Km) is completed.

My charity, Friends of Vellore, UK, does not have an automatic regular place on the known route, Greenwich to Buckingham Palace.

This year, as in previous years, I am running to support a CMC Health initiative, through Friends of Vellore, UK. This is a registered charity in the UK .My annual target of fundraising has been £5,000/-.UK Taxpayers can boost their donations by 25% by declaring their taxpaying status and claiming Gift Aid.

The project that I'm running for this year, is the CMC Paediatric Subsidy Fund.

The Paediatric Subsidy Fund was established in February 2022 to support children admitted to Christian Medical College, Vellore, whose families could not otherwise afford the cost of essential or life-changing treatment. The fund was set up in partnership between Friends of Vellore UK and the Development Office at CMC. Applications are made by the treating departments and are approved by the Deputy Director of Gifts and Grants, with up to £1,000 available for a single child’s care.

The fund was created with the intention that no child should be denied treatment because of poverty. It covers inpatient and outpatient treatment, surgery and follow up care. To date, it has received four instalments of £10,000 each from Friends of Vellore UK and by the end of 2024 nearly 28 lakh rupees had been used to help children and families in need. So far 28 children have been supported across a wide range of departments, including ENT, paediatrics, oncology, neurosurgery and child health.

These children come from poor and rural backgrounds where the cost of specialist treatment is far beyond what a family could manage. The fund has not only given children the chance of recovery but has also lifted an enormous burden from families already under great emotional and financial strain.

The paediatric teams at CMC treat thousands of children every year. The need for support remains high and every contribution to this fund goes directly towards the care of a child who might otherwise be turned away.

I will be logging my training and progress on Strava, this includes walking, jogging, and cycling and I hope you will follow along as I prepare for the Virtual Marathon. Along the way I will share updates from CMC and the Paediatric Department so that you can get a feel for the difference your generosity is making. I also hope to make the journey interesting by including pictures taken during my travels.

Your support, however large or small, will make a real and lasting difference in the life of a child. Thank you for standing with me in this year's cause.