Local fundraiser takes on half marathon to thank children’s charity, 10 years on

Maisie Lyne from County Durham is taking part in the Great North Run this September in the hope of raising £500 for The Sick Children’s Trust, a charity that supported her family 10 years ago when she suffered a traumatic bike accident and was seriously ill in hospital.

When Maisie was 10 years old she had a freak bike accident when she was playing in the woods with some friends. As she was cycling, the back peg of her bike caught a tree stump, causing the bike to flip over.  In shock, Maisie managed to return home and after a visit to A & E, was told she had suffered bruised ribs, which was very painful but not serious enough for her to be admitted into hospital.

Just two days following the accident, Maisie’s parents, Tony and Sara noticed that her condition was deteriorating; she was struggling to breathe and talk. Maisie’s symptoms became so severe that she proceeded to pass out from the pain and she was rushed to the Great North Children’s Hospital for treatment.

Maisie had a scan and Tony and Sara were given the devastating news that her stomach was full of blood and she would need to go into surgery immediately. Maisie was in theatre for five hours where surgeons removed a third of her pancreas and to this day they are still unsure what caused her internal bleeding. The operation was successful and Maisie remained in hospital for two weeks.

While Maisie was in hospital Tony and Sara were able to stay close by in Crawford House, a ‘Home from Home’ provided by The Sick Children’s Trust located within the hospital grounds.

Maisie, 20 said “The Sick Children’s Trust is such a special charity to my family; they enabled my mum and dad to stay close by to me when I really needed them and saved them travelling up to two hours a day to and from our home in Newton Aycliffe. At 10 years old, hospitals can be really frightening so it was really important for me to have my mum and dad there, to keep me company and to just give me a cuddle when I needed one.

This will be my first official run and I am really looking forward to taking part. I have always wanted to complete a half marathon and it seemed like the perfect opportunity to raise money for such a special cause. I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has sponsored me, it means so much and gives me the motivation to keep training, knowing that I will be helping to support many families.”

Maisie will be taking part in the Great North Run on 7 September and has already raised £336.30 for The Sick Children’s Trust.

Gail Stonley, House Manager of Crawford House said “It is lovely that Maisie remembers Crawford House and very touching that she has decided to fundraise for the charity after so many years. It costs us £28 to accommodate a family for one night in our ‘Home from Home’ accommodation so every penny that she is raising will help us to keep families together when they need each other most. We will be there to cheer Maisie on at the Great North Run and can’t wait to see her cross the finish line.”

The Sick Children’s Trust provides free, high quality ‘Home from Home’ accommodation as well as emotional and practical support for families who have seriously ill children in hospital. The charity has nine houses across the UK where families can stay free of charge, just minutes from their child’s side and there is also work in progress to build a second ‘Home from Home’ in Newcastle at the Freeman Hospital.

If you would like to support Maisie, please visit her just giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/maisielyne/