Simon & Richard's Fundraising Page
My Story
I’m delighted to be running the London Marathon for Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), which has been a huge part of my family’s life for the past five years.
And I’m immensely proud to be running with my great friend, Richard Fletcher, who has seen first-hand how this incredible hospital has transformed the life of my little girl Evie.
When Evie became seriously unwell with rare complications from an aggressive childhood illness, we were welcomed with open arms by the renal team on GOSH’s Eagle ward. With their excellent care she recovered for a while, but then suddenly relapsed.
Her kidneys quickly started to fail and after just a few weeks we were told she needed dialysis to maintain her life. It was the darkest of times. We cried lots and then cried more, but we knew we had to find the strength to support our sick little girl and her sister, Clara, back at home.
For the next two years, she spent every evening hooked up to her home dialysis machine, which was challenging for everyone, and especially for Evie. It became our new normal. Then last year my amazing wife, Jacquie, donated one of her kidneys to give life to our daughter once more.
Our lovely little family was separated for nearly two months while Evie was cared for by the transplant teams at GOSH. Over that time, she grew stronger and stronger and – now a year on - is a thriving teenager. The change in her is truly amazing.
It’s been tough, but we’ve made it through with the support of GOSH, and our brilliant families and friends.
Richard and his family are our neighbours. They are always by our side in that sense and have been in so many other ways over the last five years. That’s why it seems so fitting to run the London Marathon with Richard by my side.
£10 could pay for a genetic test that will help diagnose children like Evie
£20 could pay for an hour of research time with one of our world-leading scientists so there are better treatments for other children in the future
£50 could cover the cost of one night's stay for parents like us in GOSH’s family accommodation
Thank you GOSH. Thank you Jacquie. Thank you Richard, And thank YOU for every penny donated.
Much love,
Simon x