London Marathon runners raise money for Evelina London

Jon-Paul Sargent (left) and his friend Jamie.

This year 55 amazing people supported Guy's, St Thomas' and Evelina London by running the London Marathon and raising more than £100,000.

Jon-Paul Sargent, from Dartford in Kent, and Tamsin Richards, from Stratford-upon-Avon, both took on the 26 mile race to raise funds for Evelina London.

This was Jon-Paul’s second London Marathon and this year he raised over £6,000 for Evelina London where his daughter, Amalia, received life-saving care.

Amalia is now three years old, but in 2014 aged just five months she was treated at Evelina London for encephalitis, a rare and life-threatening condition which causes inflammation of the brain. Amalia recovered and is now a very happy and active little girl. However, due to the encephalitis she suffered a brain injury which has affected her ability to speak. She now also has epilepsy, and continues to be cared for at Evelina London.

Jon-Paul said: “We are so lucky that Evelina London was, and is, here for us and so many other families. Since Amalia’s illness our family and friends have tried to raise awareness, and as much money as possible, to help Evelina London carry on its amazing care and work. Many people aren’t aware of Evelina London until a life changing experience happens, but we are so fortunate that they were there for us at the worst moment of our lives. It's such a special place and doesn't really feel like a hospital.”

Tamsin Richards’ daughter, Charlotte, suffers from Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis, and is cared for by the rheumatology team.

Tamsin has raised more than £6,000 for Evelina London by holding fundraising events including quiz nights, cake sales, book sales and sweepstakes around her London Marathon time.

Tamsin said: “We are delighted to have been able to fundraise for Evelina London, and the paediatric rheumatology service they provide is fantastic. I especially want to thank clinical nurse specialist Eunice Godbold who has been a great help to our family.

“Over the last 18 months Charlotte has suffered with a lot of muscle pain, and it has been difficult to help her manage it. Eunice has always been on the end of the phone for us, and has helped with prescribing pain relief and offering advice. Hopefully, Charlotte is over this now, and for the last few weeks she has been pain free for the first time in a very long time.

“The whole team at Evelina have made a huge difference to Charlotte’s care, and I can't tell you how much we appreciate this support. We’ve seen first-hand the long hours and hard work the team put in, and whenever Charlotte comes in for an appointment we can see an ophthalmologist, a physiotherapist, a rheumatologist and a specialist nurse, all in one appointment. This is a huge help in terms of reducing the number of lost days at school and work.”

Marian Ridley, Director of Evelina London, gave a special thanks to all our supporters: “I’d like to thank Jon-Paul, Tamsin, and all the runners who took part in the London Marathon on our behalf. We really appreciate them dedicating so much time and effort to fundraising for Evelina London, and their efforts will have a big impact. The number of children we care for at Evelina London grows every year and these fundraising efforts will help us continue to provide the best possible care to all our patients.”

Find out about running the London Marathon for Evelina London in 2018.

Find out about other ways to fundraise for Evelina London.