I'm taking on the Bath Half Marathon to fundraise and give back for the incredible care my son Toby has received at Moorfields Eye Hospital.

Toby's story

Toby was born with Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome (a group of disorders that mainly affects the development of the eye, particularly the structure of the cornea and iris.) which in turn, caused him to have glaucoma.

When Toby was little, we always kept the blinds and curtains closed at home. When we went out, Toby always wore sunglasses and used a shade to block out any light in his pram and buggy due to his high sensitivity to light.

Toby is now 10 years old and has undergone 27 operations under general anaesthetic at Moorfields Eye Hospital. He has lost vision in his right eye and has only 20-30% vision in his left eye.

He has recently been diagnosed with nystagmus and cataracts and will require further surgery.

What Moorfields means to us

The staff at Moorfields have got to know Toby very well over the years and take time to make him as comfortable as possible, especially the incredible play specialists who make the trips there much more enjoyable.

Mr Brookes, Toby’s doctor is our hero. He is always there for Toby in his calm and caring way - he performs the most amazing procedures. His team, the doctors, nurses are all outstanding in their care.

Despite all the challenges he has faced, Toby is so positive about everything. He’s taught me a lot, he’s incredibly strong, my superhero, and I could not be more proud of him.

Please give what you can

By taking on the Bath Half Marathon, I want to raise money that will help support life-changing eye research and innovation at Moorfields and the UCL Institute of Ophthalmology. This will be a huge challenge for me and there will be weeks of training involved!

Toby would have been completely blind from a very young age were it not for Moorfields, they changed our lives and I am forever grateful.