Tanya Hutchinson

Someone you can expect to see on the start line of our charity running events is fundraising superstar Tanya Hutchinson.

Tanya and her young daughters, Molly and Tilly, have been fundraising for our charity for over a year now and all three took part in last year’s Great Manchester Run, with Tanya running the half marathon and her daughters taking part in the mini event.

The family’s fundraising is inspired by their experiences at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. Molly was diagnosed with cardiac problems at three months old after trouble feeding and weight loss. She was admitted to RMCH almost immediately as her condition was deteriorating quickly. She was an inpatient for three weeks before being transferred for surgery.

“Fundraising for Manchester Foundation Trust Charity is important to us as a way of expressing our thanks for the care that the girls have received for the past 13 years. Everything from the nurses and doctors to the care from the Play Team,” Tanya says.

Tanya adds that Molly’s recovery was “amazingly quick” and there was such a change in her. She spent three days in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and was then cleared for discharge.  She carried on seeing the cardiac doctors at RMCH until she was discharged from their care aged six.

Her other daughter Tilly was diagnosed with a heart defect at a similar age after routine checks. She was under the care of RMCH and then, like Molly, she had surgery at only eighteen months old. This again made a massive change to Tilly, she had numerous breathing difficulties prior to the surgery which were eliminated instantly. Tilly, now 11, remains a cardiac patient at RMCH.

Molly has more recently been seen by the genetics team at St Mary’s hospital due to a connective tissue disorder called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. It causes many issues and Molly mainly struggles with joint issues due to hypermobility.

“Fundraising for the girls is not only a way of raising funds for other families in need but it is also a great personal challenge. Knowing that we are raising much needed funds is a huge motivation to succeed.”

“We have taken on many challenges over the last few years. Charity haircuts, various running events, making and selling jewellery. This year I will be running two marathons for the charity, and myself and the girls are doing a year-long challenge of running or swimming the equivalent of 1 mile each day.”

“This is a big one for us and we hope to raise funds for the Charity to help them continue to support excellent treatment and care throughout their family of hospitals. We would encourage others to fundraise for this amazing charity too. Maybe challenge yourself to a 10km or tick off a personal goal whilst helping others.”