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7 Marathons, 7 Cities, 7 Days

This is a challenge which will sort the men from the boys!

Gareth will run 7 marathons in 7 days in Bristol. Birmingham, Loch Ness, Edinburgh, Manchester, Thame and lastly Portsmouth. These winter marathons will be run in conditions not normally faced by athletes. It may be snowing, icy, raining windy or even sunny. To give an idea of the size of this challenge Gareth will have full support during this week, the team will drive over 1,500 miles and stay in accommodation overnight. He will run 183 miles, 925 yards in just 1 week. Surely this is worth supporting. The aim is to raise a minimum of £5,000.

On this occasion we will be raising money for KidsOut. This is a fantastic charity based in Leighton Buzzard who are helping children throughout the UK. This has only been made possible due to the generosity of Travelodge who have agreed to sponsor this challenge. It is only fair to say that without this sponsorship this challenge would not happen. They have been kind enough to issue press releases and encourage all of their 500 hotels to raise money towards the target.

In order to raise even more money we are going to show the route of each marathon and a timetable of where Gareth expects to be and when. We would like to invite you to join with him for any length of the marathon you would like from a few hundred yards to the full length if you are brave enough! You can then raise sponsorship or pay any amount for the privilage of joining in. Please make payment of any monies raised to the BT donate page.

If you would prefer to just help please text LOVE77 £3 to 70070 from your mobile phone. If you would prefer to give another amount just replace the £3 with the amount you want to give. The acceptable amounts are £1, £2, £3, £5, and £10. There is no limit to the amount of times you can use this service.

Gareth is aiming to update his twitter page with progress through this event. If you want to come and give him your support you will be able to see his progress here

Thanks for your support. See you during one of the marathons

My Hospital Stay

 

 

 

 

One of my first days in hospital. I had two canulars, one for a sodium drip amd one for medication.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One bag of sodium drip took between 5 and 10 hours to go through.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Family support was so important to me. Mum, Dad, Vik my sister and Sami my girlfriend were at my bedside throughout my time in hospital.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bruising that came from taking blood for analysis 4 times a day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bruising that came after the bone marrow test, the most painful experience of my life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I suffered major nose bleeds due to my blood not coagulating.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Only the second meal I was able to hold down in 10 days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A rash that came up due to a reaction from the morphine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My groin after the surgery to test my lymph nodes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Which hand do you think is mine? The yellow colour of the jaundice shows up nicely!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This gives some indication of the weight loss I suffered. This picture was taken the day before I was discharged.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This picture was taken on the 22nd December 2008. This was just a few days before I was admitted to St Richards Hospital in Chichester.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This picture was taken on the 13th January 2009, exactly 22 days later. Again, this was the day before I was discharged from Kings College Hospital in London.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My thanks go to the many doctors and nurses from both hospitals who were involved in my illness and recovery. I would also like to thank blood donors, without you, I wouldn't be here to tell this story.

Thanks all, you saved my life!

2011 Challenges

During the last 2 years I have had numerous blood tests, run and cycled literally hundreds of miles and raised thousands of pounds for the hospitals that helped save my life. It is my great pleasure to announce in January 2011 I got discharged....... I still have to have regular blood tests but I am well enough not to be a patient. Therefore to celebrate the 2 years that I was a patient I shall be doing 2 events, the pint for pint challenge and Bognor Prom 10k.

The Bognor Prom 10k has been completed and I am proud to say I broke my personal best, completing the course in 41 minutes and 42 seconds. I finished in 82nd place in a total field of 1490 entrants.

The 2nd event will celebrate the end of my treatment and acknowledge the part the two hospitals played in treating my illness and the fact that blood donation saved my life.

I was treated at King's College Hospital, London. I shall be joined by my parents and we will cycle from London to St Richard's Hospital in Chichester where I was first admitted. We shall cycle over 70 miles in total. However, instead of asking for financial donations my family and I are asking that everybody donates 1 pint of blood. You can find a local donation by clicking www.blood.co.uk and it shouldn't take you more than about 15 minutes.

We are asking for people to give blood because only 4% of the UK population give blood regularly and I have the 2nd rarest blood type in the UK and received 6 pints while I was in hospital.

So, please donate the cost of a pint to St Richards Hospital or Kings College Hospital and donate a pint of blood to help save someone's life.

Introduction

My aim is to raise funds for St Richard's Hospital and King's College Hospital who without their time, dedication, knowledge and ability, I would not be in a position to raise money on their behalf. In addition, thanks to all the blood donors around the world, without the blood stocks I wouldn't be here!

I was born in 1987 and was a very active child and have always been active and healthy throughout my life. I played in many sports teams and was also a judo tournament winner.

On the 24th December 2008 after complaining of feeling ill with a high fever for the last few days I disappeared to bed where I stayed until I was unable to control my vomiting, hot sweats and temperature. On the 28th December I was admitted to St Richard's Hospital, Chichester, where I was treated for three days until I needed specialist attention. On the 1st January I was blue lighted up to King's College Hospital, London, to be treated by liver and Haematology specialists who told my parents there was a strong chance I would not make it home and eventually diagnosed me with Secondary HLH.

Haemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) affects histiocytes called macrophages. Affected people have fever, enlargement of the liver and spleen, a fall in the number of normal blood cells, abnormalities of blood clotting and accumulation of macrophages and other white blood cells within affected tissues, typically the bone marrow, liver, spleen and lymph nodes. HLH is often triggered by viral or other infection and improvement generally follows treatment for the precipitating infection and removal of immune suppression, if this is possible.

I hope you will be able to help me support St Richard's Hospital, Chichester and King's College Hospital, London.  Many thanks.