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Silsden Dad raises almost £3000 for local Neonatal Unit

Thursday, 7 November 2024 17:05

Oliver with his one year old son

Oliver Walsh, a Silsden based dad and Merchandise & Shipping Manager of Kamico raised an incredible £2735 for Airedale General Hospital’s Neonatal Unit.

Oliver decided to run the renowned Yorkshire Marathon on 20 October for Airedale Hospital & Community Charity after son Oliver Junior was admitted to the Neonatal Unit in 2023 at three weeks old.

Oliver wore a 9kg weighted vest during the marathon to represent the average weight of a 1-year-old male.

Oliver said,

“As a parent, it’s a scary feeling coming onto a ward with alarms going off as in the beginning you have no clue what they mean. There’s a lot of worry and panic in that initial period but we feel so lucky to have had the support of the staff on the unit, they were so great at keeping us as calm as possible and took the time to explain what was happening.

“Oliver Jr was on Airedale’s Neonatal Unit for 7 and a half weeks, we came home on 30 November 2023, 10 days before his due date.

Getting ready to bring Oliver Jr home brought on a lot of mixed emotions, it felt so daunting after he had been in hospital for so long.”

Laura Hepworth, Community Fundraiser added,

“We’d like to say a huge thank you to Oliver and his family for sharing their story with us. He should be so proud of what he’s achieved. Running a marathon is a difficult task but with the additional weight is incredible.”

If you’re able to support Oliver’s fundraising journey, please visit his Just Giving Page here.

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