TWO best friends from Redditch have raised over £2,000 for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity by completing the Three Peaks Challenge, to give back after the life-saving cancer care received by a loved one.
Outdoor enthusiasts Josh Leach and Callum Wright took on the challenge, climbing Ben Nevis at 1345metres, Scafell Pike at 978metres and Yr Wyddfa at 1085metres, also known as Mount Snowdon, in 22 hours, 51 minutes and 14 seconds.
The tough endurance challenge was an outpouring of gratitude for the care received by Josh’s partner’s little brother, Anderson Pollard.
Anderson had only just celebrated his seventh birthday when he started feeling poorly. After an initial appointment at the allergy clinic, his condition deteriorated and his family called 111.
They took him to the GP for an urgent appointment, and he was then sent to his local hospital.
After blood tests, an ultrasound and a CT scan, clinicians found that Anderson had an issue with his bile duct, and was also showing signs of jaundice.
He was quickly referred to the specialist liver unit at Birmingham Children’s Hospital and, after an MRI scan, his family received the devastating news that Anderson had cancerous tumours in his stomach.
Anderson was urgently transferred to the Children’s Hospital via ambulance, this time to its specialist Cancer Centre, where additional testing found that Anderson had Burkitt lymphoma, a rare but aggressive type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Doctors started Anderson on a treatment plan straightaway. Thankfully, after four months of gruelling cancer treatment, including multiple procedures and six intense rounds of chemotherapy, Anderson’s family received the news that he was cancer free.
Anderson proudly rang the end of treatment bell, and his whole family were filled with immense gratitude for the compassion and care he received at the Children’s Hospital.
Inspired by Anderson’s incredible recovery and how much the Children’s Hospital meant to his partner, Meg, Josh teamed up with his best friend Callum to take on the Three Peaks Challenge, aiming to climb three mountains in Scotland, England and Wales in under 24 hours.
The close pals set up a fundraising page for their challenge, and with friends, family and colleagues chipping in, raised over £2,000 for the Children’s Hospital, more than double their original target.
Bolstered by this outpouring of support, Callum and Josh bravely took on their challenge, starting at Ben Nevis and ending at Yr Wyddfa. It proved a gruelling experience, but the hiking heroes persevered, keeping each other going and completing their climbs with over an hour to spare.
Josh said: “Three Peaks is the worst, but best thing I’ve ever done. It was very difficult and we faced every single kind of weather up there, but me and Callum bounced off each other, and the views when we reached the top of each peak were gorgeous. I think everyone should get out there and see the mountains, if they can.
“For me, Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity is the most important cause I could support, not just for my girlfriend Meg and her brother Anderson, but for every kid like him. Because no child deserves to be poorly or in pain.”
Callum added: “I won’t lie, the challenge was absolutely exhausting, and my legs are still in agony! But when you see how much the hospital means to people like Josh, it motivates you to support, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
