Swimming for Birmingham Children's Hospital

We are raising money in support of Birmingham Children’s Hospital to show our gratitude for the incredible care they provided for our family and most importantly, our son, Ritchie.

In March 2023, when Ritchie was only 11-months-old, he very suddenly fell critically ill with Strep-A and adenovirus, which resulted in Ritchie developing sepsis. Ritchie was rushed to PICU at BCH by KIDS following a seizure and multiple cardiac arrests whilst being intubated, provided with vital access lines and a chest drain at UHCW. Ritchie was incredibly poorly and was close to being put on life support and dialysis in the early days of his stay on PIC.

As a result of the very aggressive treatment needed to save Ritchie’s life, he had poor profusion and his left arm was amputated below the elbow and Ritchie had considerable debridement on his left leg. He also sustained considerable damage to his brain as a result of his three cardiac arrests and two seizures.

Despite this, Ritchie is making a strong recovery. After two months in hospital and six weeks taking part in a neurology rehab trial, Ritchie is now thriving at home. His journey is far from over, and Ritchie still visits BCH regularly for appointments under various teams, but we are certain that he will overcome any challenges that may come his way with the constant support of this amazing hospital and the incredible staff they have.

We will each be swimming a mile a day, for the 53 days Ritchie and our family was cared for at BCH. Our swim will begin on 23rd March and end on 16th May.