In January 2009 Tommy started suffering from frequent headaches and was diagnosed with a brain tumour. He was transferred from the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge where he had an operation and spent almost 6 weeks in hospital.
Tommy is a keen swimmer and a member of the City of Norwich Swimming Club. He is trained by Chris Bailey every Tuesday and Chris has helped him prepare for the swim. He has now recovered well and even won a silver and bronze medal in a swimming gala last November. Tommy has been training regularly at the Holiday Inn on Ipswich Road and is now aiming to complete a 5km swim at Sportspark on Saturday 19th February.
Tommy has been gathering sponsorship money from local houses in Tuckswood and from his previous middle school, Eaton Primary as well as the City of Norwich School. Overall Tommy has raised around £720 including pledges with great help from friends and family. Tommy’s uncle, Carl Simpson, has raised well over £150 from his colleagues.
Tommy said: “I want to raise money for the people who helped me and my parents be together during the time I was ill. The Sick Children’s Trust allowed my parents so stay with me in Cambridge everyday and sleep next door in ‘Acorn House’ which is one of the homes funded by The Sick Children’s Trust. The rest of my family could visit during the day and take me over to the home so we could spend time together. The homes have separate bedrooms and bathrooms, and also a dining room and a living area with toys and a TV. This means many people can share the house and its amenities.”
He added: “Today there are seven homes at major hospitals around the country, each providing clean comfortable accommodation for families with seriously ill children. I would like to help those homes stay running by donating money raised from my sponsored swim to the Trust.”
Sportspark will also be making a donation to The Sick Children’s Trust. The money has been raised by Sportspark customers who have made donations in return for copies of The Eastern Daily Press and Norwich Evening News, which have been supplied to Sportspark by Archant Norfolk.
Director of Sportspark, Keith Nicholls said: “What Tommy is setting out to do is excellent, especially for a 12 year old boy. He has been very brave during his illness and recovery and has shown great determination to plan and complete his sponsored swim. Sportspark has been donating money to local groups and charities that have helped local people in the Norwich area for some months now. We are delighted to be able to make a donation of £700 to Tommy’s chosen charity.”
Tommy said: “I’d like to thank the Holiday Inn for their co-operation and also everybody at the Sportspark for their generous donation and helping organise the swim.”
The sponsored swim will start at 11:40am on Saturday 19th February. To sponsor Tommy visit http://www.justgiving.com/Tommy-Simpson. For more information about The Sick Children’s Trust visit http://www.sickchildrenstrust.org/
