Josie and her son Rudy have just celebrated his third birthday in a very special way. They walked the 12 miles from Worthing Hospital to the Royal Alexandra Children’s Hospital in Brighton, raising a fantastic £865 for CLDF! Here Josie explains why.
Our sponsored walk was the journey taken by Rudy just hours after he was born, in an emergency transfer. Rudy has biliary atresia (he was also born with a bowel atresia) and after many weeks as a newborn in hospital, he had the Kasai procedure at eight- weeks and has been doing brilliantly ever since. He always surprises the doctors and consultants when we have our check-ups as he is such a strong, vibrant and healthy boy who is much bigger than most of his friends at nursery!
Rudy now only needs blood tests, an ultrasound and a meet up with our consultant once a year. He has become quite a pro at blood tests (so have we as parents with distraction techniques, cuddles and good snacks!). We are keen for Rudy to stay as healthy as possible, so we make sure he has all he needs in terms of nutrition, keeping on top of his medication and supplements and generally living a well-balanced and very active life.
Of course, in the early days, my partner Joe and I worried a lot. We made good use of the resources through CLDF and whenever we had concerns, we were able to contact our Clinical Nurse Specialists at Kings College Hospital where Rudy had been treated.
When he started nursery, we provided the staff with the CLDF education pack, so they were clued up on his condition and, other than the typical toddler coughs, colds and viruses, he is doing great.
We know that not everyone is so lucky, however so Joe and I promised ourselves that for each year he turns older, we would fundraise for CLDF. They are an incredibly important support for children who have liver disease and their families.
So, what better way to celebrate the third birthday of such an energetic little boy, than running, skipping and scooting along the seafront on this sponsored walk (OK also pushed and carried by me for most of the distance…with lots of snacks along the way!)
We covered the 12 miles in the wind and rain and then finished in up Brighton to beautiful sunshine. Rudy was pushed for most of the journey but enjoyed some running along the windy beach, walked with Daddy and Grandad who joined us for some of it and then also had a nap before we finished the end!
It felt like a really wonderful way to spend the day, reflecting on all that we have been through as a family but especially as Mum and Son. I cannot believe all the fear we had about the unknown when he was doing this exact journey on the day he was born in an ambulance, to now, with him running along the seafront just like your average three-year-old. It felt really special and to have smashed our fundraising target in this way is just brilliant!
