This May, Jude who is 11 years old will be taking on the Three Peaks Challenge to raise money for three charities that are incredibly close to our hearts –CCAA kids with arthritis , Evelina London Children’s Hospital and The Ronald McDonald House Charities.

If you was to meet Jude you would never realise the journey he has been through in his short life.

Since the age of 2, he has lived with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis which effects his joints and Uveitis which effect his vision.

At the beginning we felt helpless and lost, we questioned “why our little boy” but with the help of the CCAA we met others on the same journey and experts that guided and supported us, to which we would like to show our appreciation

January 2024, our world came crumbling down. Jude became critically ill following a respiratory infection and we nearly lost him. He spent 57 days in the Evelina hospital with a 25 day stint in Paediatric Intensive Care requiring life support including ECMO and kidney dialysis.

There was a point we didn’t think he was going to survive but with the enormous effort and care of the team at Evelina he pulled through. We would like to show our appreciation to those guys who fought tirelessly 24/7 to keep him alive.

Our third charity we would like to give our thanks to is the Ronald McDonald house charity. Without this amazing charity parents like us would have no where to stay and would be forced to leave their child.

We had a clean room with a bathroom, kitchens, food, amazing staff and only ten minutes walk from the hospital.

After months in hospital he didn’t have the strength to walk, we wheeled him out and his rehabilitation journey began.

He has shown unbelievable determination and resilience and is now back doing what he loves most – hiking, biking, competing in mountain biking and motorbike events.

The Three Peaks Challenge is something Jude has chosen to do to give something back to those who have supported him.

Thank you.

Ronald McDonald House Charities UK provides free ‘home away from home’ accommodation to families with children having treatment in hospital.

Our Houses offer much more than just a place to stay; they provide family activities, peer support, respite, and many other services. This means that families can be by their child’s bedside in a matter of moments, whilst maintaining a degree of normal life with reduced emotional and financial strain.

We help over 6,000 families each year and now, more than ever, we need your support. Thank you.