Reading family make marathon effort to raise money

Next month a Reading family, along with some friends, will begin a year of running challenges in order to raise money for our local children’s hospice as well as a charity dedicated to fighting mitochondrial disease.

Seven months ago, the Simkiss family received the devastating diagnosis that their little boy Jude, who turned one in October, has a rare genetic disorder called Mitchondrial disease. Sadly, there is no cure and it is unlikely that Jude will live past his childhood. Jude’s family is currently supported by Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service as well as the Lily Foundation.

The former military family, who are now settled in Reading, called on family, friends and colleagues to join them in their mission to raise as much money as possible for the charities that are supporting them as well as raising awareness for Jude’s condition. Team Jude’s 13 members will be taking part in a number of physical feats such as the Reading Half Marathon, London Marathon, Endure24 running challenge, Spartan Trifecta, 3 Peaks National challenge and the Great North Run. For those taking part in all the events, it will mean running over 100 miles!

Dale Simkiss, father of Jude, said:

“We are living every parent’s worst nightmare. Jude’s condition is so limiting and it is devastating to know that because there is no cure he is unlikely to live past childhood. It is a cruel stroke of nature that affects many children and families across the UK and in Jude’s name we are so very passionate about raising greater awareness of this condition so that in the future more will be known about mitochondrial disease and we might be closer to finding a cure.

<“One of the fantastic charities supporting my family is Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service. It provides us, and other families like ours, with invaluable support not just for Jude but the rest of the family including his brothers and sister. It relies wholly on donations from the public to keep its wonderful service going and Team Jude wants to raise as much money as we can for them.” Julia Philipson, community fundraiser at Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service said: “We are in awe of the Simkiss family and Team Jude in their determination to support us through so many running challenges this year. We wish them the best of luck and will be rooting for them all the way!” You can follow their progress on www.facebook.com/teamjudeomnia

Need our help?

The word hospice should not seem scary and getting support from us doesn’t have to mean a child’s death is imminent. Helping to enrich the lives of the children and their families is at the heart of our service, our end of life and bereavement support is just a part of what we do.

Our children’s hospice service covers the whole of Berkshire and into surrounding counties. If you think your child may be eligible for our services, please do get in touch.

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One of the greatest and most precious gifts our charity receives is time 💙💛We are fortunate to have 155 amazing volunteers who collectively donate around 2,000 hours of their time each year. Without their vital support, we would not be there for children and families that need us. This #VolunteersWeek we will be celebrating what inspires our volunteers to make their unique contributions to our charity, whether at the hospice or out in the community. If our volunteers inspire you to gift your time, you can learn more about volunteering with our charity here: www.alexanderdevine.org/volunteer#InspiringVolunteers #localcharity ... See MoreSee Less
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It was lovely to welcome Jon Davey, Community Champion from Tesco in Dedworth Road Windsor, to our children’s hospice last week with a very generous donation of books for our next children’s book sale. We are so grateful for the ongoing support that Jon and his team give to Alexander Devine. Their kindness makes such a difference to our charity 💙💛Tesco #CommunityChampion ... See MoreSee Less
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With 3 weeks until #ChildrensHospiceWeek, will you help us #RockTheBlue?!🙋‍♀️ Sign up to receive your #RockTheBlue fundraising pack💡 Plan your blue themed activity or challenge💙 Raise money and make a difference to local children with life- limiting and life-threatening conditions 👉 Visit www.alexanderdevine.org/rocktheblue or email our friendly fundraising team for help with your BLUE-ming brilliant ideas: fundraising@alexanderdevine.org #fundraisingfun #localcharity #childrenshospiceservice ... See MoreSee Less
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Alexander Devine Children’s Hospice Service is the operating name of Alexander Devine Children’s Cancer Trust. A company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales No. 5757493

Copyright © 2019 Alexander Devine Children's Hospice Service. UK Registered Charity No. 1118947.