Former Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital patient gives back years after life-changing treatment

A former Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital patient who spent 17 years under the hospital’s care has completed a 24-mile fundraising walk to give back to the team who helped change his life.

Twenty-year-old Archie Bradshaw, from Wigan, took on the challenge alongside family and friends to raise funds for Manchester Foundation Trust Charity, the official charity for Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust’s family of hospitals, which includes Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.

Archie’s Story

Archie was just three years old when he was first admitted to Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital in 2009. He had been diagnosed with cholesteatoma, a serious condition in which an abnormal skin growth develops in the middle ear and can lead to permanent hearing loss and other serious complications if left untreated.

The condition affected Archie’s hearing and left him seriously unwell, resulting in multiple hospital stays. Over the following years, he underwent several operations and continued to receive specialist care from the hospital’s Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) teams throughout his childhood and into his late teens.

Seventeen years after first walking through the hospital’s doors as a young patient, Archie wanted to say thank you by giving something back.

Archie said: “I don’t remember much about my first stay because I was so young, but I know it was a scary time for my family. I knew I was ill, but I didn’t realise how ill I might have been. There were times when we didn’t know if I was going to lose my hearing completely.

“I remember being frightened as a child when I had to stay in hospital. It’s a big, scary place and can feel quite intimidating when you’re small. But the help that the nurses and staff members provided was invaluable.

“I had several operations on my ear right up until the age of 19, so I have spent a huge amount of time under the hospital’s care. Thankfully, I recovered completely and it doesn’t affect me now. I live a normal life, and that’s down to the care and support I received.”

Archie’s Walk His Way

Wanting to mark the anniversary of his original admission, and to support future patients, Archie signed up to Manchester Foundation Trust Charity’s Walk Your Way fundraising challenge.

Together with around 30 family members and friends, he set off from Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital on Oxford Road and walked through Salford, Swinton, Walkden and Westhoughton before finishing in his hometown, Aspull, near Wigan.

He originally set himself a fundraising target of £2,009 in recognition of the year he was first admitted to hospital, but the challenge has already raised almost £4,000.

The team successfully completed the walk in just five hours and 50 minutes.

He added: “Me and my mum had talked about doing something for the hospital for a long time. As the anniversary of my first admission approached, it felt like the right time to give something back.

“The people around me kept me going throughout the walk. We said that if we started, we weren’t stopping, regardless of what was in our way. It didn’t matter how much my feet hurt; we were going to finish and have some laughs along the way.

“I’m glad we were able to do something that will help other children and young people staying in the hospital all these years later.”

Archie hopes his story will offer reassurance to children and families currently facing health challenges.

Archie said: “My advice is never to worry. You have to get through things through thick and thin and lean on the people around you for support. That’s how I got through it, and you’ve always got someone by your side.”

Anna Rosehill, Fundraising Officer at Manchester Foundation Trust Charity, said: “Archie’s story shows the lasting impact that the care and compassion shown by our clinical teams at Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital can have for families – not just whilst their child is a patient but for many years after.

“To see Archie come back now, to give something back, is very special and we’re so thankful to him and everyone who has supported his fundraising.

“Every pound raised by our supporters enables us to fund projects that go over and above core NHS funding to make a difference for patients and families in our hospitals. We are incredibly grateful for that support and hope Archie’s story inspires others to consider taking on their own fundraising.”