Alix Fromageau

Why I'm taking part in RBC Race for the Kids

Six years. Five races. One very special reason to keep running. ❤️
Six years ago, our little boy Henry was just 15 months old when he had a stroke.
We had never imagined that a stroke could happen to a child so young. One sunny Saturday, Henry suddenly became very weak and droopy. He couldn’t sit or stand and was clearly very unwell. We rushed him to A&E, where doctors quickly realised how serious his condition was.
Henry needed an emergency MRI, but our local hospital didn’t have one available that weekend. As his condition deteriorated and we still had no answers, he was transferred urgently to Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).
The next day, Henry had his MRI. It confirmed what we had feared: our baby had suffered a stroke.
I will never forget the feeling of arriving at GOSH. As his mum, I felt reassured for the first time. I knew Henry was in the best possible hands.
The incredible doctors, nurses and staff cared for him, treated him and helped him recover. We were surrounded by kindness and support during what was, without doubt, one of the most frightening experiences of our lives. We were even so touched by one of his nurses that we named his little sister after her. ❤️
Six years later, Henry is doing brilliantly. But GOSH is still a huge part of our lives. He continues to attend appointments and undergo tests, ECGs, heart echoes and more. Every appointment can bring back memories of that terrifying time, but knowing that he is surrounded by specialists who know him and care for him makes an enormous difference.
And this year, we are running the RBC Race for the Kids for the fifth time. ❤️
Five years of running for the hospital that was there for our little boy when we needed it most.
But this race is about so much more than Henry.
The money raised helps GOSH continue to provide life-changing care for children like him, while also supporting vital work to help beat childhood cancer.
It is also helping to create a new section of the hospital dedicated to cancer treatment — with bedrooms designed not to feel like hospital rooms, outdoor spaces where children can get fresh air and escape the clinical environment, and incredible playrooms where children can simply be children.
For a child who may spend weeks or even months in hospital, these spaces are not luxuries. They are vital. They give children somewhere to play, laugh, create memories and feel like themselves during some of the hardest moments of their lives.
We know first-hand what donations can make possible.
The MRI Henry needed on a Sunday was made possible thanks to charitable funding. The private room where we were able to stay beside him, day and night, was funded by the charity too.
When your child is seriously ill, every minute matters. Being able to stay beside them, having access to the right equipment and specialists, and being somewhere that feels safe can mean everything.
So, for the fifth year, we are running for Henry. We are running for every child currently being cared for at GOSH. And we are running for the children who will need this incredible hospital in the future.
If you can donate, no matter how small, you will be helping to give seriously ill children the care, hope and childhood they deserve.
Thank you for helping us run again. Six years on, we are more grateful than ever.