Brother Fundraises For Local Icu At South Run
Entries for the Simplyhealth Great South Run are still open. Enter at: greatrun.org/great-south-run
A 22-year old will be running the ten-mile distance to fundraise for the intensive care unit which saved his little brother.
Samuel Casey, from Oakley, Hampshire, is running for Southampton PICU after his brother, Rory, was diagnosed Necrotising Fasciitis in 2009.
This is a rare bacterial infection which affects the tissue beneath the skin and the surrounding muscles and organs, colloquially known as a ‘flesh eating’ disease.
Sam said: “My brother was two at the time when he got a full diagnosis for Necrotising Fasciitis.
“It took three operations to remove the infected tissue.
“Following this, Rory spent days in the PICU at Southampton General Hospital, where the staff were excellent at getting his recovery to a more stable level.
“He was moved to Odstock Hospital in Salisbury for reconstructive surgery, as substantial amounts of his body tissue had been removed.”
It took two months for Rory to be treated due to the rare nature of the infection.
Sam said: “It was a difficult time for the whole family; I was only fifteen years old and I remember getting very emotional as I wasn’t prepared to see one of my brothers in such unbearable pain.
“My other two brothers and I were regularly up at the hospital with Rory, helping him earn to walk and eat again during the recovery process.”
Sam will be joining thousands of other runners on 22 October for the Simplyhealth Great South Run in Portsmouth.
The ten-mile run is just another way for him to give back to the intensive care unit.
He said: “As a family, we have raised money and donated to the Southampton PICU, and an apnoea monitor was purchased for the unit in Rory’s name.
“I decided to repay the kindness of the staff at Southampton General Hospital by entering the Simplyhealth Great South Run after finally finishing university this year.
“I ran the London Marathon 2017, but the run in Portsmouth will still be a new challenge for me.”
Sam’s family will surely be cheering him on as he crosses the finish line, particularly Rory.
Sam said: “He is now a healthy eleven-year-old boy with only scars and positive memories about his experience.
“I look back now with great relief that he is still with us.”
Support Sam’s fundraising page here.
Entries for the Simplyhealth Great South Run are still open. Enter at: greatrun.org/great-south-run
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