Huge congratulations– and an even BIGGER thank you – are in order for seven-year-old Elizabeth Soffe, who has completed her very own marathon challenge for our charity, raising over a phenomenal £100,000! Elizabeth ran a mile every day in July to make up the 26 mile distance, all to raise money to help children just like her.

Elizabeth has been a patient at our hospital since she was a baby. Elizabeth and her family were living in Qatar when, at just six-months-old, Elizabeth’s cot caught fire after an air conditioning unit malfunctioned. She was severely burned and was extremely close to dying. She was flown by air ambulance to Birmingham Children’s Hospital where she underwent weeks of complex plastic surgery and reconstruction operations.

Miraculously, Elizabeth survived and since then, she’s received over 70 operations, including reconstruction of her face and hands, skin grafts, releases of skin grafts and laser treatment. She has daily physiotherapy and occupational therapy to treat her scars and ensure her range of movement is maintained and she will need many more operations as she grows up.

Despite all the challenges she’s faced, Elizabeth has grown up to be a remarkably confident, happy and wise young girl, with a great outlook on life. She also wants to help other children like her, which is what inspired her fundraising.

Elizabeth’s story and fundraising challenge has captured the imagination of the public, and she has seen her wonderful efforts covered by ITV Central and the Sky One show the Russell Howard Hour.

The same support was shown as the very inspirational Elizabeth crossed the finish line of her marathon challenge in Kings Heath Park, surrounded by friends, families, supporters and lots of her peers, who all wanted to do their part to encourage Elizabeth all the way to the end. The staggering amount of money Elizabeth has raised will go to our hospital’s specialist paediatric Burns Centre.