News
Portsmouth man who ‘hates running’ takes on Southampton MoRunning half marathon for friend’s daughter with cerebral palsy
10 Nov 2023
Portsmouth man who ‘hates running’ takes on Running half marathon for friend’s daughter with cerebral palsy
He said: ‘To this day I have no idea what happened – there was impact or trauma, it seemed to be just one of those things.’
‘But during my five days in hospital I decided to set myself a mental and physical challenge. I’ve never been a runner, so a half marathon ticked both boxes.’
‘I work with Malaya’s dad Buster and wanted to raise money and awareness for her – her therapies and treatments cost a lot of money.’
Dan will be running the Southampton Morunning Half Marathon this Sunday (Nov 12).
Malaya Rose, now aged nine, was born premature and with quad spastic diplegia cerebral palsy, which means she has very tight muscles in her legs, arms and core, and limited co-ordination.
The family raised more than £40,000 for Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy and the necessary physiotherapy which would help Malaya with sitting, standing, playing, daily activities of all sorts and possibly even allow her to walk. She has also recently had another hip operation.
Malaya still needs physiotherapy every week which is not available on the NHS and costs more than £100 per session. Dan is hoping to raise funds to help cover these costs.
Malaya’s dad Buster, 34, from Portsmouth, who also works for the Ministry of Defence said: ‘I am very grateful to Dan for choosing Malaya’s charity for this challenge he has set himself. Watching him work his way back from illness and injury and put in the hard miles has been impressive to see and I hope the run goes as smoothly as possible for him! We will be there cheering him on!’
The family is being supported by children’s charity Tree of Hope which helps families fundraise for children like Malaya with healthcare needs and provides charity status to benefit from gift aid, corporate support while also providing donor reassurance.
Tree of Hope Head of Marketing and Family Support Georgina Lowry said: ‘We wish Dan all the best with his challenge! It’s great to see that the Rose family have so much support from their friends and community.’
To sponsor Dan and to donate to Malaya’s fund, visit https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/dantolfreyhalfmarathon or https://www.treeofhope.org.uk/mighty-malaya-rose/
