I am running this years London Marathon for a very special charity that grants wishes to children living with life threatening and life limiting illnesses. Some of these are their dying wish, so it really is giving some children and their famillies, memories they will never forget. They also grant hospital wishes and thanks to Rays of Sunshine (RoS), the Paediatric Liver Unit at Kings College Hospital benefited from an amazing refurb in 2009, providing our daughter Olivia and other kids being treated for Liver Disease, with a bright, spacious and state of the art environment which matches the quality of care provided by the amazing, world leading staff that work there. 

I promised last year, due to incurring so many injuries, that I wouldn’t run another marathon, but then Olivia was invited to Abbey Rd Studios by Rays of Sunshine to make this fundraising video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=shlvciurmqw. Please watch it as these children melted my heart and made me decide to run the marathon. These are kids who, like Olivia, don't always have an easy time health wise.  All the children who benefit from RoS have spent, or regularly spend, long periods of time in hospital and as a result miss out on the normal fun things in life that most children take for granted. They miss out spending time with their siblings and often don't see both of their parents at one time because one is with them in hospital and the other is at work or having to look after other members of their family. Serious illness splits up the family unit and prevents you planning any sort of life in advance because you just never know when you will have that time.

Against all odds we have our beautiful daughter and not a day goes by where we aren’t reminded of how precious the gift of life is. When Olivia is well the good times are wonderful and we take full advantage of them, but that period of normality is always tinged with the worry that something else is round the corner and that the bubble may burst.  Over time we have come to realise that this is how it will always be when you have a child with a life-threatening illness. I was totally blown away by Rays of Sunshine and how much fun they enable the children to have. Life for these children is so precious and the good times even more so. Our day at Abbey Rd studios was a seriously emotional day for me and it was the day that made me decide to run the Virgin London Marathon 2014 for Rays of Sunshine.

I also sort of feel like a spell will be cast if I don't run this year. We haven’t had one night in hospital and had no major dramas with Olivia!! Somehow, everything is just doing what it should be for her and although at some stage she will require another Liver Transplant, being the person I am, I cannot sit around and think about that...so I will keep running for my sanity and to try and make a difference. Please sponsor me and help me raise as much money as possible to keep these amazing kids smiling through all the tough times they have and help them to continue having fun and enjoying life through the fab work that Rays of Sunshine does.

Thanks so much

Nina

 

Olivia's Story

Our daughter Olivia was born with a very rare form of Liver Disease called Biliary Atresia. She underwent her first major op at 8 weeks old, but sadly this didn't help prolong her life with her own liver and she required a liver transplant when she was only 7 months old. Her father donated the left lobe of his liver to her and thanks to the amazing Paediatric Liver Team at Kings College Hospital, Olivia was given a second chance at life.

Olivia spent much of the first year of her life at Kings will have to take medication for the rest of her life. She requires regular blood tests and reviews at Kings to ensure her liver is functioning well and that she is developing healthily. Olivia has had many ups and downs since her transplant and 3 years ago she began to develop complications resulting in her requiring major surgery again in 2011.  Unfortunately this had short-lived success and so we continue with regular monitoring and reviews at Kings to ensure she is keeping well.

In May this year Olivia will be going to Florida thanks to RoS, where she will get to meet Winter the Dolphin from the film Dolphin Tale. It's her favourite film and she since seeing it, has wanted to meet Winter. Thanks to RoS, Olivia's wish is being granted. I cannot tell you how excited Olivia is, how excited we all are and how truly grateful we are to Rays of Sunshine for enabling Olivia this experience.