Ben defies odds by walking marathon
A TEENAGER who was told he may never walk again after suffering from a rare brain infection has completed a marathon in six days to raise money for the hospital that saved his life.
Ben Mattocks, 14, underwent two operations and spent 10 weeks in Sheffield Children’s Hospital after contracting the infection in January.
But, despite a “long and difficult journey” to regain his movement, he took his first steps six weeks ago and has continued to take part in physiotherapy sessions over video calls after the coronavirus outbreak meant he could no longer attend in person.
Ben, from Doncaster, was taken to the High Dependency Unit at Sheffield Children’s Hospital in a critical condition after he fell ill with the infection, which was triggered by a bout of sinusitis.
The teenager spent the next 10 weeks on the dedicated neurosciences ward at the hospital and received support from the speech, language and physiotherapy teams.
Lucy Wrens, Ben’s mother, said her son wanted to “give something back” to the hospital for their “outstanding” care and decided to walk the length of a marathon over six days – raising more than £1,600 for The Children’s Hospital Charity.
Ms Wrens said: “Following his surgery, Ben faced the possibility of spending the rest of his life in a wheelchair and began a long and difficult journey to regain both his movement and strength.”
She continued: “The care he received at Sheffield Children’s was outstanding. The staff are angels in disguise, every single one of them we encountered was fantastic.”
Ms Wrens added: “He is an inspiration to us all.”