A man from Bury St Edmunds has pushed his body to the limits to raise money so that terminally ill people can spend the last moments of their life in peace with loved ones.
Josh Wright is fundraising for the My WiSH Butterfly appeal to build a new indoor space and garden at West Suffolk Hospital for those receiving end of life care.
MORE: Hospital launches appeal for ‘tranquil space’ for end-of-life patients and families
The 26-year-old has run 13 half marathons in 13 days, finishing on Saturday August 1.
The customer service manager has been accompanied by his 51-year-old dad Leslie on half of his runs and is planning on taking on the Manchester Marathon in October.
“I am no pro runner, I hate it and don’t know why I do it, but I did a half marathon last year and it went really well,” Josh laughed.
“I think people liked seeing me in pain and I stupidly thought it was a good idea at the time to sign up for more.
“At the end of the day it’s just lovely to contribute towards something which will make that end of life care so much more comfortable.
“It’s a really horrible time in someone’s life and this can make sure they spend time with their loved ones in a nice place.”
Sally Daniels, head of fundraising at My WiSH, has been impressed by Josh’s enthusiasm for the project and was there when he finished his final run at the weekend.
She said: “Covid has made everyone realise how important end of life care is for people and really highlighted it what with so many people dying alone without their family.
“Josh has been really amazing, he has done so well and is so passionate. He has already said he will be doing more fundraising for us in the future.”
The Bury born and raised runner likes to listen to Louis Theroux podcasts on his runs or chats to his dad Leslie, as he says his usual music taste of The Smiths would probably send him to sleep.
“Since I started it has been up and down really,” he admitted, saying some days are good and others are worse.
“I have been struggling to sleep too but I think it’s all the aches and pains as well as the adrenaline rush – my dad has been amazing and he’s definitely faster than me.”
Josh’s JustGiving page has now raised £1,320.
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