Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

We have all been touched in some way by the NHS over the past 18 months and now, more than ever, I want to give something back to support the thousands of people who have bravely stepped forward to help others.

However, the NHS has always been part of my life - not only did they help to bring our 2 daughters into this world, but they have also kept our family together over my lifetime;

For the past 40yrs my mum has lived with Crohn's Disease - an incurable, life long disease that affects your digestive system. The NHS and specifically the team at Oxford's John Radcliffe hospital saved my mums life when I was a teenager, and have subsequently kept her going ever since - no amount of fundraising will ever be enough to thank them. Learn more about the disease here;  

Crohn's disease - NHS (www.nhs.uk)

More recently, at 12 weeks old, my nephew was diagnosed with Craniosynostosis, a deformation of the skull which left untreated, could have led to brain damage and blindness.

Our family contacted a specialist at Great Ormond Street Hospital, Dr Owase Jeelani, who met and operated on him at 16 and 20 weeks.

The surgery was a pioneering new method of treating this condition, by inserting springs into the skull to recreate the natural growth of a baby’s head. Having been successful, it avoided more invasive and high risk operations in later childhood.

Dr Jeelani is world renowned, has separated a number of conjoined twins from across the globe and has been the subject of a number of TV documentaries. The neuro team at GOSH, together with the incredible care team, are available on the NHS to any family in the UK and are the reason my nephew has gone on to lead a totally normal and happy life with absolutely no side effects. Learn more about Craniosynostosis and amazing work of GOSH here;

Craniosynostosis - NHS (www.nhs.uk)
Great Ormond Street Hospital | Home (gosh.nhs.uk)

The aim of NHS Charities Together and the wider NHS charity network is to provide extra care and support for NHS staff and patients, enabling health services to do more, beyond the core services that would ordinarily be funded by government. This helps improve the wellbeing of patients and saves lives. With current relentless pressures on the NHS the extra support provided by NHS charities is more important than ever.

Thank you for any donation, however large or small - it will help me get round the 26miles and more importantly, it will help our amazing NHS!