Sheffield Children's Hospital: Grateful dad's Sheffield 10k bid to help medics who cared for baby son

Newly-born Jake Tate-Farnsworth was referred to Sheffield Children’s Hospital in November 2019, after tests during the routine new-born screening suggested a significant loss of hearing.

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Now his grateful dad is set to run the Sheffield 10K to raise money for the hospital departments that stepped in to help.

Mark said: “The quality of the care hasn’t surprised us, of course we’d expect to receive the outstanding care we have. The many different readings from the hearing tests are complicated but we’re never made to feel stupid when we ask questions.

“The staff interact with Jake whilst including us in his care. Their patience with Jake and the time they take to listen to our concerns is just amazing and we can’t thank them enough.

“He’s such a bright boy and incredibly cheeky with a smile to light up the room. He loves to read a book and play outside!”

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To say thank you for Jake’s ongoing care, which includes the Ophthalmology and Hearing Services teams, Mark is aiming to raise £200 for The Children's Hospital Charity.

Mark added: “I enjoy running, the miles may not be a big challenge having run Sheffield half but if it’s a warm day the heat might be! It’s good to give something back, a way of acknowledging how much we appreciate the care given.

“My sons are always my motivation. Not finishing is not an option. I run for Jake and Team Theo!”

Rachael Thomas, Events Fundraising Officer at The Children’s Hospital Charity added: “We would like to say a huge thank you to Mark, who has been a fantastic long-standing supporter of Sheffield Children’s over many years.

“It’s amazing that he’s continuing that support this year with the Sheffield 10K. If you would like to follow in Mark’s footsteps, we still have a limited number of Charity places available for the run in September.”

To support his fundraising, log onto https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/teamtheoforjake

Anyone who would lake to secure a charity place in this year’s Sheffield 10K through the hospital can log onto www.tchc.org.uk/events

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