New stretch target
All money is going towards my friends treatment so the more raised, the less pressure on her and the more she can focus on recovery and hopefully getting back to helping other people in hospitals!
Please donate: challenges for Long Covid treatment
by Ash Forbes in Hampton, Greater London, United Kingdom
Total raised £4,364
raised so far91
supportersWe're taking on a series of challenges to fundraise for my best friend's long Covid treatment.
by Ash Forbes in Hampton, Greater London, United Kingdom
My name is Ash and, together with my partner Rick, I am undertaking a series of challenges over the next few months.
OUR CAUSE
All our efforts will fundraise for a very worthy cause close to all of our hearts. My friend is 32 and is a front-line doctor who caught Covid in April 2020 whilst working in a hospice without adequate PPE. She has been suffering from on-going symptoms since (e.g. heart inflammation, constant pain, severe breathlessness). These symptoms have hugely impeded her quality of life and ultimately, meant she has had to stop work altogether. Not only has this created financial concerns, but mainly (being the incredible doctor she is!), she feels like she's letting her patients down.
She has been struggling to make progress with her recovery in the UK but recently, new treatment has become available ('H.E.L.P. Apheresis') in Germany which we hope could make a real difference. Of course the treatment comes with a hefty price tag, not helped by the fact that it will involve her staying away from home for a number of weeks.
CHALLENGE #1
It all begins THIS WEEKEND (12th August 2022) where we kick things off with a 24 hour cycle. We will complete this together, starting at 7pm on Friday evening, each cycling for 1 hour in alternation right through the night and finishing on Saturday. We'd like to do 200 miles each but let's see how things go! Photos and videos to follow...
REMAINING CHALLENGES...
The remaining challenges will be firmed up in the coming weeks and we will update this page as and when plans are confirmed. Ideas we've had so far (still to be confirmed) include the Yorkshire 3 Peaks challenge; marathon walk/run; paddle-board sportif; and possibly even a head-to-head chilli eating competition! We plan to do one challenge per month from August to December 2022.
TO ROUND OFF
After 2 and a half years of feeling very useless, we are looking forward to challenging ourselves over the next few months. It's an added bonus that we're getting married in March and could do with losing a few pounds before the wedding!
In all seriousness though, we really hope our efforts will raise some money to help pave a small part of my friend's path to recovery. As a doctor, she is part of research groups trying to improve the lives of patients with Long Covid and similar syndromes (ME / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome) and with improved quality of life herself she hopes to contribute far more in the future! Anything additional raised will be donated to similar charities investing in Long Covid / ME research.