I have taken on the 8K swim challenge this October to support Great Ormond Street Hospital. The challenge invites people to get sponsored to swim their way through the month with purpose and to raise valuable funds to support an incredible hospital who achieves incredible things.
The passion to support this cause came after various friends had accessed the hospital with their sick children. It is hard not to want to show support for a place that has shown such compassion and love to people you care about. It is even harder to not pursue endeavors that raise funds for them to continue the innovative work that they do.
This hospital opened the first Leukaemia research unit in the 1960’s. It has had constant breakthroughs in gene therapy and was pivotal in taking part in the management of Covid. It is a magical place and well established for its history and high quality paediatric care, neurosurgery and transplant centre amongst a list of other things.
The challenge is all about swimming, nothing too strenuous and all at your own pace throughout the month. The money raised supports patient families with expenses, funding meals for breastfeeding Mothers and funds accomodation for parents to stay overnight and to be near their unwell children as well as various other support programmes.
I chose to take on the challenge because I swim all the time anyway and decided that it was right to start swimming with more purpose. It feels good to be helping other people by doing something I love and it motivates me to do more, to be more active and engaged in causes that need help.
Every penny is vital and none of us know when a hospital like this, its specialists, its nurses and its guidance might be all we have to save someone we love.
Swim with purpose. Swim 8K in October.
