Running for Andrew
Donation protected
**UPDATE: We've been blown away by your generosity so far. We went for a £1000 target, but with the cost of the modifications to the house expected to be over £50k we're running for the stars and upping Luc's target to £5000. Go Luc!!!**
On 14th April little Luc (age 6) will be running a marathon over the course of a week. This equates to running nearly 4 miles a day!
He's doing this to raise money for Cousin Andrew who in August 2017, following months of suffering with muffled hearing, headaches, dizziness and fatigue, received the devastating news that he had a brain tumour. While we were relieved to learn that it was benign and slow-growing, it was by this point large, and situated in a precarious position on his acoustic nerve, close to his brain stem.
On 4 September 2017 Andrew was admitted to the Walton Centre to have the tumour removed.
Complications during surgery meant that it was touch and go whether Andrew would survive the operation. He did, but what then followed was weeks of uncertainty as we waited to see if he would wake up.
Despite the extremely bleak prognoses given by various specialists over the following months, Andrew's sheer strength and determination have seen him make a remarkable recovery.
After almost two years as a patient at the Walton Centre, including nine months in intensive care on a ventilator, Andrew finally left hospital in July 2019 and moved to a specialist facility in Crewe.
In March 2020 the country went into lockdown, leaving Andrew stuck in Crewe and the family unable to have any contact with him other than via Skype and the occasional visit through a window.
This unfortunately also coincided with a sharp deterioration in Andrew's condition. After several months of anguish, and three admissions to hospital with pneumonia, a routine MRI performed in June confirmed what we all feared - his residual tumour had re-grown quite dramatically, and was placing a large amount of pressure on his brainstem.
Andrew was given two options by the surgical team at the Walton Centre - let them operate again with all the risks that further surgery would entail, or do nothing and make him as comfortable as possible for as long as possible. Naturally Andrew chose to have the surgery and take the chance. We are sure this was only offered because of the fighting spirit and determination that he has shown since the first operation. At the end of August he was admitted to the hospital, and by this point was extremely weak and unwell.
By some miracle the surgery went much better than expected, and resulted in an almost total resection of the tumour, and full decompression of his brainstem. This time there were no additional complications, and Andrew was awake, moving and communicating before the sedation had even completely worn off - a very different experience to last time.
While Andrew is making progress beyond all professional prognoses, he is still currently very limited in terms of speech and movement. He is in an electric wheelchair and requires 24/7 care.
Why has Luc chosen to run?
Andrew has always been a keen runner, the type that can knock out a 1h30 half marathon with almost no training. Only 2 months before detecting his tumor he managed to complete the Chester half marathon, not understanding why he felt a little bit under the weather. In typical Andrew fashion, he didn't make a fuss, knocked down a couple of pints and carried on his life as normal.
Luc also loves to run, whenever we let him loose he sprints off up the nearest hill. He is excited by this challenge, but realises how tough it's going to be... already planning how he's going to cover the 26.2 miles over the week.
Andrew after a Chester Half Marathon
Luc running back down Solsbury Hill
Why we are asking for your help
In this time Andrew's children have continued to develop and grow, and have now spent more of their lives without their daddy at home than they did with him. Emma was three at the time of his surgery; she is now seven. Thomas was one, now four.
We are desperate to finally have Andrew living comfortably at home with all the family.
In order for this to happen costly adaptations to the house will need to be made so that he can live as a family again, including space for Andrew to get around both downstairs and upstairs, to give his children a bath, read them a bedtime story and sleep in his own bed again.
Andrew is also requiring ongoing rehabilitation therapies, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy, which are integral to helping him to be the best he can be.
A Trust has been set up by Andrew's family to manage the money raised to help achieve these aims. Any contribution you can make will be gratefully received and help us achieve the goal of reuniting Andrew with his family and continuing his rehabilitation.
On 14th April little Luc (age 6) will be running a marathon over the course of a week. This equates to running nearly 4 miles a day!
He's doing this to raise money for Cousin Andrew who in August 2017, following months of suffering with muffled hearing, headaches, dizziness and fatigue, received the devastating news that he had a brain tumour. While we were relieved to learn that it was benign and slow-growing, it was by this point large, and situated in a precarious position on his acoustic nerve, close to his brain stem.
On 4 September 2017 Andrew was admitted to the Walton Centre to have the tumour removed.
Complications during surgery meant that it was touch and go whether Andrew would survive the operation. He did, but what then followed was weeks of uncertainty as we waited to see if he would wake up.
Despite the extremely bleak prognoses given by various specialists over the following months, Andrew's sheer strength and determination have seen him make a remarkable recovery.
After almost two years as a patient at the Walton Centre, including nine months in intensive care on a ventilator, Andrew finally left hospital in July 2019 and moved to a specialist facility in Crewe.
In March 2020 the country went into lockdown, leaving Andrew stuck in Crewe and the family unable to have any contact with him other than via Skype and the occasional visit through a window.
This unfortunately also coincided with a sharp deterioration in Andrew's condition. After several months of anguish, and three admissions to hospital with pneumonia, a routine MRI performed in June confirmed what we all feared - his residual tumour had re-grown quite dramatically, and was placing a large amount of pressure on his brainstem.
Andrew was given two options by the surgical team at the Walton Centre - let them operate again with all the risks that further surgery would entail, or do nothing and make him as comfortable as possible for as long as possible. Naturally Andrew chose to have the surgery and take the chance. We are sure this was only offered because of the fighting spirit and determination that he has shown since the first operation. At the end of August he was admitted to the hospital, and by this point was extremely weak and unwell.
By some miracle the surgery went much better than expected, and resulted in an almost total resection of the tumour, and full decompression of his brainstem. This time there were no additional complications, and Andrew was awake, moving and communicating before the sedation had even completely worn off - a very different experience to last time.
While Andrew is making progress beyond all professional prognoses, he is still currently very limited in terms of speech and movement. He is in an electric wheelchair and requires 24/7 care.
Why has Luc chosen to run?
Andrew has always been a keen runner, the type that can knock out a 1h30 half marathon with almost no training. Only 2 months before detecting his tumor he managed to complete the Chester half marathon, not understanding why he felt a little bit under the weather. In typical Andrew fashion, he didn't make a fuss, knocked down a couple of pints and carried on his life as normal.
Luc also loves to run, whenever we let him loose he sprints off up the nearest hill. He is excited by this challenge, but realises how tough it's going to be... already planning how he's going to cover the 26.2 miles over the week.
Andrew after a Chester Half MarathonLuc running back down Solsbury HillWhy we are asking for your help
In this time Andrew's children have continued to develop and grow, and have now spent more of their lives without their daddy at home than they did with him. Emma was three at the time of his surgery; she is now seven. Thomas was one, now four.
We are desperate to finally have Andrew living comfortably at home with all the family.
In order for this to happen costly adaptations to the house will need to be made so that he can live as a family again, including space for Andrew to get around both downstairs and upstairs, to give his children a bath, read them a bedtime story and sleep in his own bed again.
Andrew is also requiring ongoing rehabilitation therapies, including physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy, which are integral to helping him to be the best he can be.
A Trust has been set up by Andrew's family to manage the money raised to help achieve these aims. Any contribution you can make will be gratefully received and help us achieve the goal of reuniting Andrew with his family and continuing his rehabilitation.
Organizer
Michael Holladay
Organizer
England
