Son taking on marathon to thank carers
A Bath man has praised the “fantastic” medics at the Royal United Hospital in Bath who looked after his father as he was treated in intensive care.
Ben Wood said it was “a very scary time”, but staff on the ward helped keep the family feeling upbeat during his dad’s illness.
Despite their valiant efforts to save him, Adrian sadly passed away in May 2016, leaving his family devastated.
Ben said: “The staff in the ICU did a fantastic job keeping my family and I informed and reassured during our time there.
“I am a firm believer in the importance to always have a sense of humour, even in the darkest of times.
“Laughter is the release of tension and spreads positivity. The staff would often join me, my family and Dad, in simply having a laugh.
“Though Dad very sadly passed away, both he and my family always remained optimistic. A feeling I personally carry on to this day in all aspects of life.”
Now, Ben has decided to take on a mammoth challenge in support of the RUH, as a way of thanking all those who cared for his dad.
The 26-year-old will run the virtual London Marathon, on October 3, in a bid to raise £2,500 for the hospital’s Forever Friends Appeal.
He said: “When Dad passed, I lost a part of my past and it was an incredibly tough time for my family and me.
“Though rather than be consumed by the hardship, I knew I wanted to turn it into something positive and to create a better future.
“With my dad’s love of all things sport and helping others, I thought of no better way of honouring his memory than running the London Marathon for RUH Bath ICU who cared for Dad in his last few weeks.”
Forever Friends, the official NHS charity for the RUH, will dedicate the funds to the ICU and help support patients at their most vulnerable.
Although his father loved sport, Ben admitted he had “never really been active” and “couldn’t run a bath without breaking a sweat”.
But with his dad in mind, he is training hard for October’s big challenge and has already raised over £1,000 online.
Margi Jenkins, matron of critical care and outreach at the Royal United Hospital, said: “The incredibly poignant memories of Ben’s experience captures the essence of what we as a team try to create for our patients and families.
“Hearing of Ben’s challenge to himself, getting out of his comfort zone to raise money for our unit is incredibly humbling.
“Such actions give us the opportunity to improve our patients’ and families’ experience and we as a team cannot thank Ben enough.”
Karlie Evans, events and community officer for the Forever Friends Appeal, said: “Ben is an inspiration to us all. He is setting himself a big challenge and is proving that anyone can achieve their goals, whether that’s to run a marathon or something a little smaller. Choosing to fundraise to say thank you to the hospital is a really personal and amazing thing to do. We’re very proud to have Ben on our marathon team!”
If you would like to show your support for Ben you can make a donation on his Just Giving page.