Miles for Max

Thank you for taking the time to visit our page and read Max’s story, the inspiration behind ‘Miles for Max’ and the mission to raise funds for the amazing organizations that saved his life.   

Our perfect little boy Max was born on 6th November 2022. The day that our lives changed forever and unbeknown to us, the day that little Max would start his fight to survive.  

Soon after Max’s birth, he showed signs of an infection and after invasive treatment and a short stay in hospital, we were finally able to take him home. But this was just the beginning of Max’s ordeal and sadly, the worst was yet to come.  

At just 4 weeks old, Max was rushed into A&E showing signs of another infection. Heartbroken and terrified, we watched helplessly as Max's condition continued to deteriorate. Doctors performed a lumbar puncture, a needle inserted into the spinal canal, to rule out meningitis and he was quickly transferred to intensive care where medical staff did everything they could to save our little boy.  

The results of the lumbar puncture confirmed that we weren’t dealing with meningitis, but our relief was short-lived.  

A further Xray revealed that Max had an issue with his bowel and that he needed to be transported to Leeds Children's Hospital for immediate surgery. Embrace, a specialist company that transports critically-ill children, came to our rescue. Within thirty minutes of Embrace arriving at Scarborough hospital, Max was transferred to Leeds. 

Surgery uncovered the cause of Max’s pain and now life-threatening condition; a perforation leaving a hole in his bowel. Without treatment, the toxins leaking into his tiny body would have certainly lead to sepsis and the effects of this could have been fatal. An ileostomy, bringing the end of Max’s small bowel through an opening in his tummy to form a stoma, was performed. 

Max went into recovery and we adapted to a new way of caring for Max. Our new family faced a three-month wait to find out exactly what had caused his perforated bowel.  

The final consultation day arrived and we learned the news that Max would have to undergo further surgery to have another small section of his bowel removed. Devastated, we knew that the surgery was necessary to give Max the best chance of a normal life. Thankfully, the operation was a success and the ileostomy was reversed. 

Max's diagnosis of the rare condition was simply a matter of random chance, as there was no known cause or explanation for why he developed it. 

Led by Max’s Mummy and Daddy, Miles for Max will see family and friends take part in various endurance challenges to raise money for the organizations that supported our family.  

Plans include a run from our hometown in Bridlington to Scarborough Hospital followed by a cycle ride to Leeds General Infirmary, a distance of just over 80 miles, and we hope to raise £6,000 to show our gratitude and help others unlucky enough to go through the pain of having a sick child.  

Max has been through more medical challenges in just six months than thankfully, most of us go through in a lifetime and the support from Scarborough and LGI hospital, Embrace, L42 and every single person that cared for Max, was incredible. The money will be donated to The Embrace Transport Service, Leeds Children's Hopstial Ward L42 and The Millie Wright Children's Charity.  

Our fundraiser is our way of saying thank you to everyone who played a part in making sure we brought our healthy, happy little man home.