Hi! My name is Rhys and myself and two friends (Alex and Nathan) from University are participating in the 13-mile West London Tough Mudder on the 6th May, raising money for the Royal Brompton and Harefields Hospital Charity. We plan to raise £500 for the trust through our training and participation in the event which should take half a day trawling through gruelling obstacles and challenges, requiring teamwork, endurance and resilience. I am running for the trust as recently my Aunt was admitted to Royal Brompton, suffering from Double Pneumonia on her lungs. Her condition had degenerated significantly before admission and subsequently contracted Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). All her family and friends were preparing for the worst possible outcome. She was a complex case as her previous ailments, which were the precursors of the pneumonia, included a supressed immune system due to her rheumatoid arthritis, had multiple operations on her back and joints due to a degenerative disc disease and also has fibromyalgia. She was in the Royal Brompton for 5 weeks, with 3 and half of those spent in intensive care, following her move from another ICU unit in another hospital.
Thanks to the care and expertise of the nurses and doctors within the trust, my aunt began to make a slow but positive recovery from her pneumonia. Almost two months after the start of her sickness, my auntie has recovered most of her previous strength, though she still remains predominantly wheelchair bound due to her issues breathing. She has returned home to recover but still receives a significant amount of support from the Brompton, including regular visits, consultant meetings and phone calls. Currently my friends and I have been training hard for our challenge ahead through running regularly and gym sessions and are thoroughly looking forward to the experience on the 6th May. Through running for the Brompton, it is the least we can do to help continue the fine work they do. Rhys Plummer