Hi everyone. This year I am running the London Hallmarks Half-Marathon (1st August) to raise funds for the Royal Brompton and Harefield (RBHT) Charity Covid-19 relief fund. Being in the front line myself, I have seen with my own eyes how devastating the COVID 19 pandemic was and still is. On the other hand, I have also seen the amazing work that the RBHT charity and other public and private sector organisations have done in order to improve patient and staff care.

Since the first pandemic wave our hospitals have significantly increased their critical care capacity and are seeing patient admissions like never before. This has been very challenging , as both Harefield and Royal Brompton receive referrals from hospitals around the capital who are sending us their most desperately ill patients. The funds raised will be used for (but not exclusively) :

- £1,750 will buy one of 20 humidifiers needed, which will add moisture and warmth to the air delivered to a patient via a ventilator. This will reduce dryness and improve comfort when breathing
- £7,514 will buy one handheld blood gas analyzer that delivers lab-quality diagnostic results at the bedside within a few minutes
- £49,000 will buy ECMO equipment for the most critically ill patients with Covid-19. ECMO will do the work of a patient’s lungs, or both heart and lungs, until theirs can function properly again
- With strict limitations on visitors, an onsite Patient Experience Coordinator will deliver face to face or virtual activities to improve the experience of adult patients, particularly those who experience long and/or multiple stays. Several patients have been inpatients for over 6 months.

Independently if I achieve my fundraising target of £1000 or not, I aim to beat my half marathon PB, as such aim to run the 22k under 1h45min. I will update you all on my progress below.

Thanks for reading and please donate!

Lots of love
Samir

PS - Info on the half-marathon - https://llhm.co.uk/



Samir Sulemane