JCB ENGINEER BRAVES SEARING HEAT TO RUN UP £4,200 CHARITY TOTAL
A JCB engineer braved searing heat to run a half marathon – raising more than £4,000 to say thank you to hospital staff who saved his son’s life.
Andrew Johnson, 45, of Alton, pounded the streets of Stoke-on-Trent at yesterday’s Potters ‘Arf marathon to raise funds for Manchester Children’s Hospital where his six-year-old son Charlie was treated after a series of life-threatening strokes.
And he smashed his original charity target of £1,500 by raising a stunning £4,200 during a race when temperatures soared to 27°C. Andrew finished the course in 2 hours 19 minutes and 8 seconds and son Charlie, wife Julia and daughter Isabella were in Hanley to welcome him over the finish line.
I have run the Potters Arf half marathon four times and this one was by far the worst I have ever competed in because it was just so unbelievably hot. The main thing is that I have managed to raise such a large amount of money for the hospital where Charlie was treated, and I would like to thank everyone who has supported me with the fundraising.
Charlie is back at school after being successfully treated for Bow Hunter’s Syndrome, a very rare condition in children where the neck vertebrae trap an artery causing blood clots. As a result, Charlie suffered five strokes and underwent treatment at Manchester Children’s Hospital to fuse the top two vertebrae in his neck which stops them trapping the artery and is now living life to the full, playing football and enjoying swimming lessons.
Senior Development Engineer Andrew works at JCB’s World Headquarters, Rocester and has set up a Just Giving page for anyone who wishes to sponsor him and help raise funds for The Manchester Children’s Hospital,
visit here.