Brooke says he is running to raise money for a new children's hospital, which is being built near the grounds of the John Radcliffe Hospital (JR) in Oxford, UK. His daughter Georgia had open-heart surgery at the JR and unfortunately, during her recovery from the operation, she had a stroke, which left her paralyzed on the left side. She has made a miraculous and almost total recovery, a lot of which Brooke says can be attributed to the care she received at JR.
The new hospital will be a purpose built center of excellence for children's services bringing local pediatric care facilities together under one roof. Fifty percent of the project is being built entirely from charitable donations and so far, they have raised 7.7 million GBP. They need 15 million to complete the project by January 2007.
The Great North Run is a half marathon held in Newcastle, UK, on Sept. 18, 2005. The Great South Run is a 10mi run held in Portsmouth, UK, on Oct. 9, 2005.
Donations can be made at www.justgiving.com/marcusbrooke. Donating through the site is simple, fast and totally secure. The Oxford Children's Hospital Campaign receives the money directly and, if you are a UK taxpayer, an extra 28 percent in tax will be added to your gift at no extra cost.
For more information, visit www.sonifex.co.uk.
