Brigg boy Jamie, 10, gives back to hospital charity after having his life transformed
A North Lincolnshire schoolboy has tackled a second and even more gruelling bike ride for a hospital charity as a thank-you for their care.
Jamie Clarkson was eight when he undertook his first cycling challenge, covering 20 miles and raising £1,700 for the Children’s Hospital Charity. Since September 2021, Jamie has been under the care of Sheffield Children's Hospital for urological issues, including a number of investigations, procedures and scans – and last year a five-hour operation that changed his life.
Last week, Jamie, now aged ten, was putting power to the pedal again as he embarked on a 52-mile cycle across North Lincolnshire for the same cause. His JustGiving total has already way surpassed his £1,000 target and the appeal is still open for people to add their donations.
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Jamie’s mum Carla Clarkson said: “Jamie was never in any doubt that he would complete the challenge; neither were we. He is very determined.”
The youngster was first inspired to do some fundraising when, while heading to an appointment in the hospital, he saw a board on the corridor wall detailing how money raised through the Children's Hospital Charity helped children in the hospital's care. He decided then and there that he wanted to raise money to help other children being cared for and treated by the hospital, like him.
Carla said: “When he was on the ward after his operation last year, a man came round with a soundboard, making sounds and tunes with the patients, and Jamie found out that this was through something called Art+ and was funded by the charity. He would like for some of the money he has raised to go directly to that as he was in for two nights – we thought he was going to be a day patient – and it took his mind off being in hospital and the discomfort he was in.”
Jamie will continue to be under the care of the hospital for monitoring but his mum said the surgery last year had “changed everything”. She said: “He is pain-free, and can do everything he wants to – PE, football, playing out with his friends.”
Jamie’s JustGiving page, entitled Jamie's Epic 52 Mile Bike Ride Challenge, explained how, over the course of over three and a half years, he had endured an extensive series of tests and procedures, often quite invasive, to investigate problems with his bladder. Before his operation, he had struggled with frequent, agonising spasms, coupled with two large bladder stones, making him unable to fully participate in many of the activities he loved and impacting his self-confidence.
A very different Jamie set out on September 7, with his dad Russell, his grandpa Grahame and his uncle Carl along for support, on the bike ride. Friends and family also popped up along the route to keep him motivated.
Russell said: “Starting and finishing in Brigg, Jamie rode through Scawby, Broughton, along the Ancholme, Horkstow, South Ferriby, across the Humber Bridge and back, out to Thornton Curtis and the Abbey, and back through Ulceby, Brocklesby and Great Limber on his way back to Brigg. The 52 miles he rode is significant because it is the equivalent distance of Brigg to the Sheffield Children's Hospital.”
Carla added: “Jamie is so pleased every time we mention someone has donated. I know he’d want us to say on his behalf a huge thank you to all the people who have been really kind with their messages and donations.”