“I’ve never run before and now I’m training to run the London Marathon but I know my grandad would be proud of me. He would want me to be running for LOROS.”
Jake Bird is part of the 16-person LOROS team making their final preparations ahead of Sunday’s London Marathon.
Jake’s grandad, Ray, died last year, following a seven-year battle with Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
When 81-year-old Ray was ill, Jake had applied to run the London Marathon. The day after Ray died, Jake received a letter saying he hadn’t got a ballot place, so he applied to run for LOROS.
“When I heard I hadn’t got a spot in the London Marathon, it just made me want to run it for LOROS more, especially because it was the day after my grandad died,” said 18-year-old Jake, of Mountsorrel.
Ray used a number of the services at LOROS when he was ill, including day therapy, complementary therapy, home visiting, counselling and support from the MND nurses. Ray was on the ward at the Hospice when he died last September.
“Grandad became frail and although the MND affected him gradually, by the end, he was really bad,” added Jake, who is a student at Leeds University.
“It was so annoying because he was the same person inside, he just couldn’t physically do things.
“It got to the point where he couldn’t leave the house, which meant my nanna couldn’t leave the house either because he needed full-on care.
“The support grandad got from LOROS helped nanna a lot too, not just grandad.”
Jake is now running the London Marathon this year to raise money for LOROS, despite never going on a run in his life before.
“I’m feeling as confident as I can feel,” said Jake, who has a target of £2,000 to raise.
“I don’t think people know just how much LOROS have to raise to keep supporting and caring for people like my grandad every year.
“Me running the marathon and raising £2,000 is so tiny in the grand scheme of things.
“I just want to do whatever I can do to support LOROS.”
To sponsor Jake visit: virginmoneygiving.com/jacobbird
If you want to take on a challenge for LOROS yourself, visit loros.co.uk/challenges
