“Throughout the hardest days of our lives, the staff at the John Radcliffe were extraordinary,” Louisa Harris

Congratulations to Eleven-year-old Sebbie Harris, who successfully completed his incredible challenge of running 5km every day for 30 days to say thank you to the teams at the John Radcliffe Hospital who saved his life.

Sebbie, from Farnham Common, became critically ill with a rare post-COVID condition exactly two years ago.

He took on this remarkable fundraising challenge to thank the hospital teams that cared for him during the most difficult time of his young life.

His mum, Louisa Harris, explains: “Sebbie was ambulanced to the John Radcliffe Hospital after becoming seriously unwell in May 2024.

“He was admitted straight to the Paediatric Critical Care Unit, where doctors worked quickly to determine the cause of his illness. During his stay, he had surgery to rule out appendicitis, spent time in a medically induced coma, and underwent extensive testing for serious conditions, including leukaemia and HLH, a rare immune disorder.”

Sebbie was finally diagnosed with PIMS-TS - a post-COVID-19 immune response, where the body wrongly thinks it is still fighting COVID. PIMS-TS caused severe inflammation throughout his body, affecting his heart and enlarging his organs. He was very poorly indeed.

Louisa adds: “It was all very terrifying for everyone involved, and it’s a time none of us will ever forget.

“But thanks to the expertise and dedication of NHS staff, alongside access to specialist equipment and facilities, Sebbie slowly began to recover and was discharged home after 10 days in hospital.

“Nearly two years later, Sebbie decided to take on a big challenge “to give back to the people who helped me when I was poorly.”

Over 30 days, Sebbie completed a 5km run every single day while raising money for Oxford Hospitals Charity.

Louisa says the whole family were incredibly proud of him for turning such a frightening experience into something positive: “Throughout the hardest days of our lives, the staff at the John Radcliffe were extraordinary.”

“From the specialist equipment that helped save Sebbie’s life, to the support spaces for families near the unit, every part of the care we received made a huge difference.

“We know fundraising through Oxford Hospitals Charity helps to provide specialist equipment, better facilities and extras that support children and families during incredibly difficult times, and we are so grateful to everyone who supported Sebbie throughout this challenge.

“His dad, Robb, and were there beside him on his runs most days - often on a bike to keep up! 

"We are beyond proud of how he has dug deep to complete 3.5 marathons whilst doing all his other usual activities. And we are even more proud that he now seems to be well on the way to £6,000 - what a legend this kid is!

"Thank you so much for all the incredibly generous sponsors and your kind words. They have truly sustained him over this arduous month."  

Lorna Eaton, Supporter Care Assistant at Oxford Hospitals Charity, said, “Sebbie has been truly inspirational. Not only did he complete his challenge of running 5km a day for 30 days, but he also smashed his fundraising target twice over. What an incredible achievement.”

If you would like to donate to Sebbie, click here