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Cyclist Donna Adams in training ahead of her epic trip with nephew Ethen |
Auntie’s Vietnam cycle trek
A YOUNG woman whose nephew almost died from a rare condition his set to embark on a marathon cycle trek to raise money for the hospital team that saved his life.
Donna Adams, 23, jetted off to Vietnam yesterday (Thursday) to cycle 500 kilometres in 10 days from Ho Chi Minh City to Cambodia’s ancient Angkor Wat ruins.
She is aiming to raise £4,000 for the Children of St Mary’s Intensive Care (Cosmic), which supports the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at the Paddington hospital.
Ethen, Donna’s nephew, was a healthy and happy 15-month-old when he suddenly became extremely unwell in July 2000.
His body became limp and he appeared very distressed, leading his frantic parents to rush him to hospital.
At first, the doctors suspected meningitis and monitored him overnight in their specialist children’s ward.
But tests at St Mary’s revealed that Ethen wasn’t suffering from meningitis – he had a much rarer condition called Transverse Myelitis, an inflammation of the spinal cord that damages the nervous system and affects just 300 people in this country each year.
The illness leads to paralysis and, in Ethen’s case, pneumonia and other complications.
Ethen was fighting for his life and it was looking doubtful that he would pull through but, three and a half months later, he was off ventilation and able to go home.
He remains paralysed from the neck down and needs oxygen at night.
“The team at St Mary’s saved Ethen’s life,” explained Donna. “The children on PICU overcome massive challenges every day.
“I wanted to help by completing a challenge of my own.
“I hadn’t been on a bicycle for years before I started training for this in September and it has been quite a shock to my leg muscles, but great for my waistline!”
During her journey, Donna will be posting regular blogs on her website and you can support her charitable trek for by sponsoring her online at www.daysechain.com. |
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