Dad's marathon thank you to 'life-saving' hospital

A father is running six ultra marathons in six days (220 miles/354km) to raise money for the surgical ward that saved his newborn daughter's life.

Fitness instructor Tom Penzer Adams, from Lichfield, Staffordshire, said seeing his daughter in intensive care at Birmingham Children's Hospital in October was "the scariest moment of my life."

She was born with intestinal malrotation with volvulus - a twisted intestine - a life-threatening condition that left her unable to feed and doctors at the hospital operated when his daughter was just five days old.

Her mum, Grace Penzer Adams said: "I don't think I stopped crying for 72 hours. I was an emotional wreck.

"Walking to theatre behind her that night will haunt us for the rest of our lives."

To raise money for the neonatal surgical ward, Mr Penzer Adams is running the ultra marathon challenge, starting in Dover on 1 July.

Subsequent marathons will start in Eastling, Longfield, Islington, Luton and Abthorpe with the final leg ending on 6 July at the hospital where her life was saved.

Mr Penzer Adams has taken on charity challenges before, notably completing eight marathons in eight weeks in 2024, to raise money for a friend with muscular dystrophy.

But he admitted his latest challenge was his toughest yet: "It's going to take a big toll on the body.

"I don't really know what to expect by the time you get your teeth stuck in to day three, day four. But there's no chance I won't complete it, because I'm doing it for my daughter."

Mr Penzer Adams' wife and daughter will cheer him on along the route and said they were "incredibly proud" of him.

Claire Murray, a ward sister on the ward at Birmingham Children's Hospital said his efforts would raise vital funds for their work.

"We couldn't be more grateful for this tremendous effort on our behalf," she added.

With a fundraising target of £6,000, Mr Penzer Adams said he wanted to raise as much as possible to thank the medics who cared for his daughter.

"We owe the neonatal surgical ward our lives.

"It's a no brainer that we're raising as much as we can for the ward," he said.

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