On Saturday 17th September 2022, I will be taking on the Great Hospital Hike in support of King's College Hospital Charity.

Last year on my birthday I stood up from my wheelchair for a few seconds - that was my party trick. This year on my birthday I am walking 18 miles for the Great Hospital Hike to support Kings College Hospital, who saved my life.

Not only did they save my life, but they cared for me, and supported my family, throughout my stay in hospital and afterwards.

I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins, Mantle Cell Lymphoma in June 2020. After several unsuccessful rounds of chemotherapy I was put forward by The wonderful Royal Marsden Hospital at Sutton, for a revolutionary new treatment for this form of Cancer - CAR T. The T cells were extracted from my blood by a process called aphaeresis and sent to Los Angeles for 4 weeks. They were genetically modified to fight and destroy the cancer cells when they were put back into my body. Unfortunately they had quite a big job to do and my body struggled to cope. I went into a coma for sixteen days and spent seven weeks in Intensive Care, a total of 110 days in hospital.

Throughout this time the care and support for me and my family from the staff at Kings was incredible.

Twice the staff took me up to the helipad - not realising that I didn’t like heights - but it was wonderful to see the blue sky and fresh air, and even arranged for Harvey, my dog, to visit me in intensive care.

I owe my life to King’s College Hospital. The Great Hospital Hike is not only a fun sponsored walk, its a rewarding way to come together to raise money for our hospitals. Every penny we raise will make a world of difference in improving patient care.