On the 10th September I will be joining 56,000 people to run The Great North Run for Henry Bromberg (15.09.06-29.07.16)
Henry Bromberg was born with a rare condition, Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome. This meant that in time, he’d need a Heart Transplant. Sadly he died whilst still waiting. He was a larger than life character, who captured the nation’s hearts by enduring his condition with bravery & optimism. He lived life to the full, packing more into 10 years than many of us do in a lifetime. He loved media attention & never disappointed his audience. His interview on Children in Need (2015) when he took the microphone off the presenter and wouldn’t give it back until he had done a shout out for all of his friends captured the hearts of millions around the world. A film which he released saying that, “My heart is plain knackered!”, was watched by thousands globally. Henry was an ambassador for the charity Readathon, after they entertained him with books & storytellers whilst undergoing hospital treatment at Gloucester Hospital children’s centre.
Henry was a firm favourite at Gloucester hospital, where he spent much of his time. His Mum lost count after 150 nights on a campbed there! Throughout all of his time in hospital, Henry always made the best of the situation. He relished tiptoeing into the staff only area, saying ‘well I’m practically staff!’, and he really loved ‘testing’ all of the junior doctors on his condition whilst they were undergoing training. If they passed Henry’s interview, they would almost certainly make the grade. Whilst staying in Gloucester hospital, the staff were fantastic, but we were well aware of the fantastic job they did with limited resources. Henry would be proud to know that money was being raised to purchase valuable equipment to make the lives of children in the hospital better. Please consider donating to this worthwhile cause….sadly you never know when a member of your family or friends will be grateful for their support.