Wolverhampton siblings race to raise £500 for sick kids

Thirteen-year-old Rosie Byrne and her 14-year-old brother, Jonah, took on the Wolverhampton 10k to thank the doctors and nurses who cared for her after she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia when she was two. 

Just days before Rosie’s third birthday, her parents, Jenny and Chris, noticed she had begun to limp. Before long, Rosie was struggling to walk at all and an MRI scan at her local hospital revealed multiple lesions through her bones, indicating a devastating Leukaemia diagnosis. 

Rosie was referred to Birmingham Children’s Hospital where she began treatment including chemotherapy as an inpatient, outpatient appointments and physiotherapy to help her learn to walk again. 

It wasn’t a straightforward journey and on two occasions, Rosie ended up on the hospital’s Paediatric Intensive Care Unit but throughout it all, with support from the hospital’s charity, nurses ensured she could spend plenty of time with Jonah and her little brother, Gerard, who was born at the same time as her diagnosis. 

After three years of treatment at Birmingham Children’s Hospital, little Rosie was given the ‘all clear’ and she was finally able to ring the end of treatment bell. Ten years later, Rosie is fighting fit and along with the rest of her family, which has since grown to include youngest brother, Ethan, continues to be grateful for the care she received. Ethan, who is seven, also receives care under the hospital’s gastroenterology team, bringing the hospital even closer to the hearts of the Byrne family. 

As a token of their appreciation, keen runners, Rosie and Jonah decided to challenge themselves and got sponsored to take on the Wolverhampton 10k for the hospital’s charity. Running independently, speedy Jonah completed the distance in just 43 minutes but after collecting his medal and catching his breath, he turned back to meet his sister, and support her as he always has, as she crossed the finish line to be greeted by cheers from the whole family. 

Jenny said: “Chris and I are so proud of Jonah and Rosie for the effort they both put into their challenge. Birmingham Children’s Hospital means a lot to us because of the care our children have received but it was the hospital’s charity that helped us keep our family together and our children’s relationships strong throughout long stays. We’ll be forever grateful of that.” 

Annie Eytle, Head of Public Fundraising at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “It’s always incredibly humbling to hear that a patient and family’s experience at our hospital has inspired them to take on a challenge for us, and we’re blown away by Jonah and Rosie’s fundraising. 

“The funds Jonah and Rosie raised by smashing the Wolverhampton 10k will help us continue doing more for our sick kids and families just like theirs.”