Supportive Sister Raises £700 for Sick Children's Charity

The sister of a first-time Mum whose baby was born seriously ill has raised over £700 for the charity that supported her and kept her close to her son.

Cordelia Kingston, 27 from Watford, ran the Royal Parks Half Marathon earlier this month to thank The Sick Children's Trust for providing her sister, Miranda, and husband Tim with a 'Home from Home' when their son was born critically ill.

The supportive sister raised over £700 for the charity which supported Miranda and Tim for three weeks in 2014 at its Chestnut House, located at The Rosie Hospital, Cambridge, when baby Oscar was born not breathing due to a diaphragmatic hernia. Although Oscar was immediately put on a ventilator, he needed round-the-clock monitoring until he was strong enough for an operation. During this time, The Sick Children's Trust gave them a room for free at Chestnut House, minutes from Oscar's side. Cordelia says:

“It was a very stressful time for Miranda and Tim; although they had planned to have Oscar at Addenbrooke's they had also planned he would be coming home that night. They live 30 miles away in Bishop Stortford, so it was great for them to be able to stay so close so they could regularly visit Oscar - even if it was in the middle of the night.

“Oscar was discharged after three weeks and now at 15 months old, is thriving! But due to all the support Miranda and Tim received, I felt it was so important for us to give something back to The Sick Children's Trust. The charity gave my sister a place to stay during one of the most challenging times of her life; it's a brilliant charity which I would like to help raise as much money as possible so that more families in need can use its 'Homes from Home'.”

Cordelia, along with 35 other people, chose to run for The Sick Children's Trust raising over £24,000 to date, with the final total yet to be announced. It costs the charity £28 per night to support a family in one of its 10 'Homes from Home' up and down the country. Chestnut House Manager, Abi Abdel-aal says:

“We'd like to say a huge thank you to Cordelia for raising such a fantastic amount and to all her family for supporting her – including her Mum Fiona who joined in the fun by hosting a bake sale.

“Chestnut House is a huge support to families with children being treated in The Rosie, it gives them a 'Home from Home' moments away from their child's hospital bed, a place to come to when it gets too much and somewhere they can come if they just need a bit of 'normality'.”

To find out more about The Sick Children's Trust, visit www.sickchildrenstrust.org