Story
I will be running the London Marathon for the second time on 13 April 2014 in memory of our beautiful and brave little girl, Chloe, and in recognition of all the fantastic doctors, nurses and other professionals who took care of Chloe at Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Chloe was born on 22 February 2012, and at the age of 11 weeks suffered a massive respiratory collapse. Chloe survived this initial collapse thanks to life-saving treatment at UCLH and, subsequently, Great Ormond Street Hospital, but she would never again breathe unassisted and would not come home again. Chloe passed away at 9.15am on 22 November 2012, on her nine-month birthday.
With hindsight, Chloe never stood a chance, subsequently diagnosed as having a rare yet incurable lung condition. At the time, however, there was always hope that Chloe would get better and would someday return home. Chloe fought for her life every day that she was in hospital, suffering multiple crashes back into intensive care, surgery and daily treatment of some kind. Whilst often in pain or discomfort (her doctors said, given her respiratory condition, that simply breathing was the equivalent of running a marathon every day), Chloe enchanted so many with her glowing smiles and dogged bravery. Chloe's incredible spirit serves as a true inspiration, and she is missed terribly.
The Chloe Mansfield Fund was set up to keep Chloe’s spirit alive and with the express aim to help improve the lives of children who, like Chloe, are in hospital and not at home. Our target is to raise £200,000 to fund a children’s playroom - we have seen, firsthand, the importance of play in helping improve the quality of life and happiness for sick children - in the new respiratory ward currently under construction at Great Ormond Street Hospital. To date, over £137,000 has been raised due to the incredible generosity of so many, but there is more to do. We hope that you agree that this is a worthy cause, and thank you for your continued generosity and support.
Will, Thuy, Sophie, Chloe and Harry