Luis and Tomas

Our Mission

We are running the 5K with one purpose: to make a difference for children at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

By joining the RBC Race for the Kids, we’re not only challenging ourselves but also helping to raise vital funds that support groundbreaking research, life-saving treatments, and the care that every child at GOSH deserves.

Who We Are And Why We’re Running the 5K Charity Race

We are Luis and Tomas, two undergraduate Operating Department Practitioners (ODPs) students currently training in the perioperative environment. As students, we’ve had the privilege of working alongside children and young people in clinical settings. These experiences have shown us not only the challenges they face but also their incredible strength and resilience.

On 11th October, we will be running a 5K charity race to raise funds for cancer support. While cancer can affect anyone, it is especially heartbreaking when it impacts children and young people. Through our clinical experience, we have seen the unique challenges children face in hospital, as well as the strength of the families who stand beside them.

Running this 5K is our way of showing solidarity, of stepping outside the clinical environment to contribute in another way. It’s also about awareness. This race is our way of honouring those children—their resilience, their smiles even in tough moments, and their determination to keep going. It’s also about supporting research and resources that can give children with cancer the best possible chance for treatment, recovery, and brighter futures.

As student ODPs, we are learning every day how to provide the best care in the operating theatre, but this run gives us the chance to make a difference outside the hospital walls too. We want to show our support for children and families affected by cancer, and we hope others will stand with us in this cause.