Determined Dad’s Race Raised Over £1,000 For Sick Kids

A determined dad raced to the Great Birmingham Run finish line and raised over £1,000 for our charity to say thank you for the care his son has received since birth for a rare congenital condition. Kyle Downey, from Birmingham, donned his running shoes and took on his hometown’s iconic race around the city, completing the 10km route as his way of giving back.

Eight days after his son, Oliver, was born, Oliver was still passing his meconium. Kyle and his partner, Hannah, were deeply worried about their son’s health, so they took him to their local hospital, where Oliver was admitted, before being transferred to our hospital with a suspected twisted bowel.

There he spent time on our neonatal surgical ward while undergoing tests and initially showed positive signs of improvement, so was discharged. But he was readmitted just days later when tests confirmed that Oliver had Hirschsprung’s disease, a rare and lifelong condition where some nerves are missing in the bowel, which can lead to intestinal obstruction.

At three months old, Oliver underwent major bowel surgery at our hospital to treat his condition. Kyle described the experience as one of the darkest times for his family but was moved by the care and compassion of our staff.

Thankfully, the surgery was a success and Oliver, now aged seven months, is back at home and doing well. Due to the lifelong nature of his condition, he continues to need regular treatment and is likely to be under our hospital’s care for the rest of his childhood.

Inspired to thank the staff for being there for Oliver and the whole family during one of the most frightening times in their lives, Kyle signed up, with his best friend, Callum, to take on the Great Birmingham Run. Kyle hadn’t run since the pandemic and found it tricky to train while balancing shift work and family life, but was determined to make the distance.

Despite four consecutive night shifts and finishing work at 7am on the day of the race, Kyle still showed up a few hours later, raring to go. It was a tough race, but he was thrilled to cross the finish line, motivated by the cheers of Hannah, Oliver and the whole family from the sidelines.

Kyle was pleased to raise over £1,000 in support of our Children’s Hospital, which was more than double his original fundraising target. He said: “What happened to Oliver took a huge toll on our whole family, especially his siblings. Until you’re there in that frightening moment with a young child, you don’t know what it’s like, but the outstanding care of hospital staff has meant everything to us.

“I won’t lie, the run was tough, especially on no sleep, but I knew I had to get to the end with everyone supporting me. It was amazing to see Oliver there on the day, and we’ll show him all the photos when he grows up.”

Annie Eytle, Head of Public Fundraising, said: “Fearing the worst for your child is every parent’s nightmare but we’re so pleased to see how well Oliver is doing, and Kyle’s determination to give back is inspirational.

“The Great Birmingham Run is our biggest challenge of the year, where hundreds of runners sign up to race on behalf of our sick kids. Thanks to their incredible efforts, we’ve raised a phenomenal £150,000 on behalf of the hospital’s brave patients, with that figure steadily rising as the funds keep coming in. This staggering amount of money will allow our hospital to continue to be at the forefront of what’s possible, so our patients and families can benefit from the best care, treatment, experience and environments.”