A BARROWFORD dad is running 10km for charity after his four-month-old son was diagnosed with the incurable disease Cystic Fibrosis.
Dominic Taylor (25) of Malham Wend, will take part in the Great Manchester Run on Sunday, May 20th to thank staff at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital for their round-the-clock care of Thomas who was born on Christmas Day last year.
Thomas was born in Burnley but was rushed to Manchester on Boxing Day to undergo emergency surgery on his bowel on December 27th and January 3rd.
Thomas only came home a fortnight ago and is on seven different forms of medication every day as well as a specialist feeding regime to manage his complications, something which he will require for the rest of his life.
Now, after the shock of learning about Thomas’s condition, Dominic and his wife Louise (27) want to do as much as they can to raise awareness of the disease.
Dominic said: “It’s been unbelievably tough. At first, I didn’t know what to do, your head is all over the place. It went from being the best point in my life to seeing my little son tubed up and in an incubator really ill.
“The staff have been absolutely brilliant. They provided us with accommodation and you couldn’t ask for any more from them. They have been highly professional from the staff nurse level right up to the consultants.
“I’ve never done anything like this before and haven’t really had time to do the training for it. I once did a Three Peaks walk but that is a long time ago. I’m really looking forward to it though because of the cause it is for and hope to raise as much as possible.”
Louise added: “Our family and friends have also been fantastic. They have done everything they can to help and support from doing our washing to bringing food in when we were staying with Thomas.”
To sponsor Dominic’s run for the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Charity, go online to www.justgiving.com/dominic-taylor0 or text XEBV86 £5 (amount is an example) to 70070.