Our story is a long, complex one. You may have heard some of it already but we'll try to sum it up briefly here. Alexander was born in March 2021, and at first all seemed fine. At 25 hours old, Alexander starting to have trouble breathing. 18 months later - 14 of which Alexander stayed at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH) - breathing is still difficult for him, especially at night when he uses a bipap machine to force air and deliver additional oxygen into his lungs (see giraffe mask pic). He has a range of medical issues, takes 10 different medications daily but has no diagnosis yet. The Dr's and nurses at GOSH have been working tirelessly to care from him while simultaneously investigating his symptoms. Alexander has grown up on a GOSH ward with his parents and sister by his side. There is nothing all the staff at GOSH wouldn't do for him, or for us, and they are helping us build a brighter future for our family. We are taking part in this run to raise money for GOSH as it is imperative that they continue to do what they do and reach as many children as they can.

The plan had been for all four of us to do this 5k event on 8 October with Alexander being pushed in his buggy, but rather than entering the event in aid of GOSH Alexander decided he’d rather be in GOSH being looked after by the wonderful staff instead! And so, together with his aunty Amie and cousin Annabelle, we will be running (or more likely walking and scooting!) without him to raise money for the incredible place that saved his life this summer and has been nursing him back to his old self ever since.

We are immeasurably grateful that it is Great Ormond Street Hospital who have taken him under their wing and thrown every resource at their disposal into his care, treatment and search for a diagnosis. It would be no exaggeration to say that Alexander would not have survived without Great Ormond Street. And he is just 1 of thousands of children who are treated by GOSH every single year. Thousands of families owe their children’s lives to the hospital and then continue to receive incredible ongoing care and treatment, some for the rest of their childhoods before moving on to adult services.

Please help us raise funds so GOSH can continue doing what they do best. All the funds we raise will make a huge difference to the children and families at GOSH. You'll be helping to fund state-of-the-art medical technology; pioneering research programmes into treatments and cures for rare conditions (hopefully one day for Alexander too); patient, family and staff support services; and the creation of new child-focused environments that help children feel safe and calm during their appointments, treatments and recovery. And all of this is done with empathy, care and a smile from every staff member - Dr’s, nurses, play workers, domestic staff, physios, receptionists etc. Anything you can give is so massively appreciated and whilst we can’t promise that all of us will run the whole 5k event, we’ll definitely get past the finish line somehow or another, whether that’s on our feet, wheels or possibly even our knees. Much love and gratitude from the MacManus/Greene family and of course from The Great Alexander too.