On Sunday March 25th my wingman-in-chief Chris Goody and I will be running the London Landmarks Half Marathon with the aim of raising £1,000 for Great Ormand Street Children’s Hospital.

As some of you may know, Anna and I have had first-hand experience not only of the ground-breaking surgery undertaken at Great Ormand Street but also of the incredible care and support offered by the entire team of doctors, nurses and support staff.

Our son Oliver was born with a rare and severe form of Hirschsprung's disease. In a nutshell the nerves cells were missing from the entirety of his large intestine...and without those one can't poo!! Any blockage can lead to enterocolitis and blood poisoning and can be life threatening.
The team at Great Ormand Street Hospital performed truly extraordinary reconstructive surgery and it is because of their incredible work in the months leading up to, and following, his operation that he is now a wonderfully happy, healthy little boy without a care in the world.

GOSH sees close to 300,000 children a year, many of whom are facing life-threatening illnesses; they are the largest centre for child heart surgery in the UK and one of the largest centres for heart transplantation in the world. They are also the largest paediatric research centre outside of North America and provide over 50 different specialist and sub-specialist paediatric health services.

Among their many monumental achievements are:

-Developing the first heart and lung bypass machine for children.
-Developing an improved shunt valve for children with water on the brain (hydrocephalus).
-Developing non-invasive (percutaneous) heart valve replacements.
-Performing the first bone marrow transplant.

The GOSH charity seeks to support the hospital in every way possible, particularly by:

Providing funds to help modernise and redevelop GOSH by replacing and expanding outdated clinical facilities and accommodation, enabling the hospital to treat more children in modern environments. 

Funding child, family and staff support projects to help improve the experience of patients and their patients families, enable clinical innovation and provide important support for the hospital’s dedicated staff.

Providing funding for vital research to pioneer new and kinder treatments for rare and complex conditions.

Ensuring that the hospital can harness the latest technologies by investing in new equipment and related capital projects.

Supporting the hospital is matter very close to our hearts, and any support that you can offer would be greatly appreciated. Thank you ever so much.

Markus

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