A MUM whose son, Axl, died from a rare blood disorder just before his third birthday is tackling the Great North Run in his memory – but the seasoned runner and fundraiser won’t stop at the finish line.
Claire Walker, who is training to be a nurse associate, took up running in 2018 to help her cope with the heartache of little Axl’s illness.
When Axl was having his second transplant in Leeds, the Candlelighters charity play team came into the hospital to entertain Axl and give his mum a break.
“I’d go for a coffee but I thought – this coffee isn’t helping,” said Claire.
“I’d done running when I was at school and someone suggested that I go for a run, so I did – I got myself some trainers and went for a run for a good half hour or 45 minutes, and I found that I could deal with everything so much better.”
This year she is stepping up her fundraising challenge and aims to run 13 half-marathons - or one half-marathon, each month for a year. She has set a fundraising target of £1,000.
“Anything over that would be amazing,” she said.
Claire said: “I thought I would do something to challenge myself so I’ve decided to do a year-long running and fundraising challenge which will see me run a half-marathon a month.
“This year’s Great North Run starts it all off and next year’s Great North Run ends it. In between - and once a month - I’ll either be running an official half-marathon as I’ve already booked Leeds, Manchester, and Ilkley, or I’ll run one once a month in my own time if I’ve not got an official half-marathon booked.”
You can sponsor Claire by following this link.
Running helps the hardworking mum wind down.
“Running is my free time - and my ‘me time’ is going for a run. I’m on my own, most of the time, with my headphones and I’ll just go run for an hour, and when I come back I can handle anything," she said.
Claire, who works in Bradford Royal Infirmary’s emergency department, added: “Over the years since Axl’s death, running has helped stop me from jumping over the edge when the grief got too much.
"Today it continues to help me live life without him and to cope with the stresses and strains of working in the NHS.”
“Next month, I’ll be running my third Great North Run and my second for the ‘Sparkle 4 Axl’ annual fundraising campaign which was set up by Bradford Hospitals Charity in the wake of Axl’s death and which he remains a figurehead for.”
Claire has been supporting Bradford Hospitals Charity and raised money in Axl’s memory to ensure other young patients have access to toys to help distract them while in hospital.
Every December Claire’s family, along with colleagues from Bradford Teaching Hospitals, host the ‘Sparkle 4 Axl’ day where staff wear something sparkly in his memory.
In the past six years, Claire and her husband, Ian, and sons, Lucas, 13, and River, three, have raised more than £20,000 for the charity. Lucas does a bucket collection at Bradford City and the whole family supports Claire’s fundraising efforts.
Claire, from Wibsey, added: “Seeing the faces of the children and young people on the wards who benefit from the charity gifts which the donations from Axl’s fund buys, makes all the difference.
“’Sparkle 4 Axl’ means everything to me as it’s about keeping Axl’s memory alive and knowing that the children are getting something – be it a toy or a game - from him, through the money we have raised, means the world.”
“I want to raise at least £1,000 for the charity so that even more children and young people can benefit from Axl’s gifts while they are on one of our wards.”
Lisa Williams, head of fundraising at Bradford Hospitals Charity, said: “Claire’s dedication to fundraising in memory of Axl is truly inspirational.
“Her unwavering support for Bradford Hospitals Charity exemplifies her commitment to making a difference.
“We are incredibly grateful for her continued support and wish her the best of luck in her upcoming half marathon challenges."
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