Dad to run Birmingham Half Marathon for Hope House
A Shrewsbury dad will be pulling on his running trainers and taking to the streets for the Birmingham Half Marathon to raise money for the children’s hospice which supports his family.
Sean McCarthy has signed up for the race which takes place on May 4th and wants to raise as much as possible for Hope House Children's hospice where his three-year-old son Theo visits most weeks with his mum Claire.
Theo regularly attends the weekly Sunshine Group, which is for younger children with life-threatening conditions and their families have the opportunity to get together and where support is available from the care team and specialists in areas such as symptom management and physiotherapy.
“We love the Sunshine Group,” says Claire. “We have gotten to know other children and families and can talk anything through with the staff. It’s been invaluable as we can’t really use other baby groups. Both Theo and I needed to get out of the house to see other people and this has been perfect for that. It really is our lifeline.”
Theo has a number of complicated medical needs due to his conditions, which include spina bifida and vocal cord palsy, which means he needs a tracheostomy to help him breathe.
“Seeing the huge benefits both Claire and Theo get from the Sunshine Group is so important, and I really just wanted to do something to give a bit back to the charity that we get so much from,” said Sean.
“It’s not only Sunshine Group. Our daughter Elsie, who is eight, has also benefitted from the time at Hope House with the staff and we’ve had some fun times as a family too as special activity days set up at the hospices.”
Sean has started training and can be seen treading the streets of Shrewsbury in preparation for the big run and you can sponsor him today at ajbellgreatbirminghamrun2025.enthuse.com/pf/sean-mccarthy
