90 Mile Charity Marathon For Thankful Family

Edinburgh Children’s Hospital Charity Press releases

An image of marathon runners at the end of their race gathered with Ruby as a part of a Care PR storyAN inspiring group of 15 has run a whopping total of 145 kilometres, raising over £5,000 for an Edinburgh children’s charity.

“Team Ruby”, led by doting parents Jane and Iain Smith, took on the Edinburgh Meadows Marathon challenge to fundraise for The Sick Kids Friends Foundation (SKFF), who provided essential support to their daughter when she was in hospital.

Ruby Smith, aged 6, fell ill at school in December and was taken to the Royal Hospital for Sick Children (supported by SKFF), where it was discovered she had had a paediatric stroke. As a result, she was unable to walk due to losing all movement down her right hand side and she also lost her speech.

Ruby was in hospital for six weeks, including over Christmas, in which time she hugely benefited from the invaluable Drop In Centre and the wide variety of Christmas activities funded by SKFF.

To give something back, Ruby’s parents, their friends and co-workers banded together to take part in the race, even squeezing in training sessions on their lunch breaks and also held a bake sale. They ran a combined total of 90 miles and have now smashed their original target of £500, with donations continuing to roll in and now totalling over the £5K mark.

Ruby’s mum, Jane, said: “Child first, patient second is exactly what SKFF does – they really work to lift the spirits of the kids and their parents.

“The Drop In Centre made things much easier for us, as Ruby’s little brother was too young to be on the ward, but was instead able to visit his sister there. It also creates a relaxing space and a break for the children and their families away from the ward.

“Ruby has come a long way since her stroke and is making an extremely positive recovery. She is walking and talking again and even joined in with us warming up before the race.

“She is working very hard at overcoming some more hidden neurological deficits and is now starting to phase back into school. We are very hopeful for a full recovery.

“The amount the running challenge has raised is just phenomenal and it’s fantastic to be able to contribute so much to the great work of the charity. We want to say a huge thank you to everyone who ran, donated and spectated, baked and sold cakes, and of course to all the staff at SKFF.”
Sue Diamond, Community Fundraising Manager at SKFF, said: “We are extremely grateful and honoured to be the chosen charity of Team Ruby.

“The team has raised an astounding amount of money that will have a huge impact on the lives of the patients and their families that we support.

“At SKFF, we exist to ensure children and young people’s lives are less interrupted by illness and that they have a more positive hospital experience. We provide enhanced facilities and cutting edge equipment and it is the generosity of those who get involved with us, like Team Ruby, which allows us to continue to do this.”

The Sick Kids Friends Foundation supports and complements the work of the Royal Hospital for Sick Children as well as other children’s healthcare settings across the southeast of Scotland and beyond.

Donations are still being collected so if you are keen to further support Team Ruby, you can donate here: https://teamskff.everydayhero.com/uk/ruby-paediatric-stroke-survivor

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