I’m running the London Landmarks Half Marathon for my nephew Zac, who is the happiest, most optimistic and determined person I know. He unexpectedly suffered from an AVM in 2019 and I’m doing this to raise money for the Children’s Trust who did an amazing job looking after him and helped him with his recovery. 


I don’t think anyone can tell his story better than Zac himself, so please have a read below:

"I am a very sport-oriented person however my life completely changed when in February 2019, I was in the middle of packing my suitcase to head off to New Zealand for my uncle’s wedding. I was with my mum at the time which I am so grateful for. It started when my right leg started to shake uncontrollably & then I lost all consciousness of my surroundings. Little did I know that I had suffered a ruptured arteriovenous malformation (AVM). I was placed in an induced coma, despite their best efforts, the doctors couldn’t work out why I wasn’t waking up. It turned out that I was having non-convulsive seizures. I stayed in the coma to allow my brain time to recover. 

After spending just over 7 weeks at St. George’s Hospital, I was moved to The Children’s Trust rehabilitation centre. The site is located in Tadworth, Surrey. When I first arrived, I couldn’t talk, feed myself or even be independent, I missed my friends at school & was very confused. My life completely changed, even the basics like self-care were a challenge for me. With all the help from the speech & language therapists, physios, occupational therapists, nurses & doctors, I became a stronger version of myself. We even went on many trips to make the time in rehabilitation feel as normal as possible

Since leaving the Children’s Trust over 4 years ago , I have achieved all my GCSE’s, passed my level 2 engineering course, completed my first year of a T-level qualification, got my full driving license & gained the necessary industry placement hours for my course.

I will forever be grateful to The Children’s Trust for providing me with a stable foundation that I have been able to build upon. I don’t imagine that this would’ve been possible without a place like The Children’s Trust. They have helped me to live my life as best as I can."