Siblings, twelve year old Kaitlyn and nine year old Callum from Helston are raising money for the intensive care unit (ICU) at Derriford Hospital to say thank you for looking after their mum, Kim.

The 1st of February started out as a great day for the family; Kaitlyn, her mum Kim and her Auntie Marie took part in a local 5k park run. However, on their way home Kim and Kaitlyn were involved in terrible a car accident. Kaitlyn fortunately didn’t suffer any long term injuries; but mum, Kim, suffered a life threatening stroke and spent a number of weeks in the ICU at Derriford Hospital. During her stay in hospital, Kim had to have two life-saving operations including a craniotomy which involves removing part of the bone from the skull to allow for swelling.

When Kaitlyn and Callum went to visit their mum, they were given a book about what to expect when visiting a loved one in ICU to help prepare them for seeing their mum. Kim, Kaitlyn and Callum were all given matching teddies by staff in the ICU to help them feel close to each other.

Kim is now on the road to recovery but now lives with aphasia, dyspraxia and physical disabilities.

Kaitlyn and Callum, along with their Aunty Marie have decided to raise funds for the ICU at Derriford Hospital so they can support more families. They will be cycling, running and walking the distance Kim travelled from her from her accident to hospital and back home again. This included from the site of the accident to Treliske, back to Derriford, onto Barncoose then home, totalling 268 kilometres.

So far they have completed just over 60km and have raised almost £1,000.

To support Kaitlyn, Callum and Marie you can visit their fundraising page on the Plymouth Hospitals Charity website: https://plymouthhospitals.enthuse.com/pf/kcmicufundraiser