A GRATEFUL Hillmorton mum is running in Sunday’s London Marathon to raise money for the local air ambulance after her son was airlifted to hospital when he was hit by a car.
Teaching assistant Claire Wragg, 39, decided to run the gruelling race for Warwickshire & Northamptonshire Air Ambulance after her then-eight-year-old son Stephen was knocked down by a car in 2012, causing him to fracture his skull and lose consciousness.
Stephen was taken by land ambulance to Walsgrave Hospital in Coventry where he was placed in an induced coma before being transferred by air to Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
Thankfully Stephen, now 13, made a full recovery after a stay in the high dependency unit and is now a healthy teenager with a black belt in kickboxing.
Claire said she had always supported the charity, but it became very close to hear heart “after what happened to my boy.”
She said: “We were so very grateful that an air ambulance rushed him to intensive care for the urgent medical treatment he needed. It would have taken so much longer by car in busy traffic.”
Claire says her son was her inspiration to start running three years ago. And despite not initially believing she could do it having had three knee operations, her determination has already seen her complete several half marathons and one full marathon in aid of the charity.
She said: “If I am really struggling when I am doing my training and I see the air ambulance flying overhead, it motivates me to keep running.
“The London Marathon is one of the things on my bucket list to do before my fortieth birthday, so I am delighted to be taking part. Being able to raise money for the air ambulance at the same time makes it even better – especially as the charity receives no government funding.”
Visit http://www.uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=clairewragg to sponsor Claire and help her reach her £500 target.
