Hello my name is Archie and my mummy is running the Reading 1/2 Marathon to raise money for the Oxford Childrens Hospital.

I was born with a rare genetic bowel condition called Hirschsprung's disease. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/hirschsprungs_ez/

My condition went undiagnosed for 3 months and during this time I became very poorly.  I showed no signs of weight gain, feeding was difficult and I very rarely opened my bowels.  Eventually, I had not had any bowel movement for 8 days, was unable to keep food down and was getting very dehydrated. Mummy and Daddy took me to A&E at the Royal Berkshire Hospital where I was admitted immediately.  After 2 days, the doctors were unable to diagnose my condition and I was referred to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. 

After 3 more days of further tests, I was finally diagnosed with Hirschsprung's disease.   The doctors advised that my bowel was at bursting point which was potentially fatal if I had not gone into hospital when I did.  I needed a couple of operations, the first one of which was called an ostomy. It meant that I would have to have a bag to collect my stools for a while but it would give me time to get healthy enough for my next operation.  After 4 months I then had the pull-through operation, was successfully plumbed back in and I can thankfully say that since then everything has been working as it should be. :o)

It was a very stressful time for me and my parents but the way we were looked after at John Radcliffe made it so much easier.  They have play areas for the children and a parents room where parents can escape the stress of the ward. Some of the other children I met whilst in hospital had been there their whole lifes, the hospital provides rooms off the ward for their mummies and daddies so that they could stay with them and not have to travel home each night. All of these facilities would not be available if they did not receive the funding that they do.

The money raised will go towards maintaining the highest standard of care, facilities and equipment they provide for children and their parents. We cannot thank them enough for the way they looked after me and this is just a small token of our appreciation.

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