A CARING Evesham mother of four tackled back-to-back marathons in 24 hours and raised a staggering £8,000 for life-changing treatment for her disabled daughter.
Emma Haynes, completed the amazing feat of 52 miles on Saturday (July 11), where she walked day and night around Evesham to fund treatment for her eight year old daughter, Olivia, to give her the opportunity to walk unaided.
Miss Haynes left her job as a legal secretary to care for Olivia who has relied on a wheelchair and walking frame to get around since birth having been diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
Without the treatment, Olivia is likely to be in a wheelchair for the rest of her life.
The life-changing operation available on the NHS will leave Olivia needing months of physiotherapy after leaving the hospital as she learns how to walk by herself, relieving her of the painful tightness in her legs, but the post-operation treatment costs £25,000.
So, in a brave effort to raise the money needed to help her daughter, Miss Haynes pushed herself through the gruelling challenge where she walked the same two mile loop through the town centre 26 times, cheered on by family and friends.
“It was a relief to finish as I was exhausted and delirious towards the end!” said Miss Haynes.
“One of the only things that kept me going was getting into the river to cool myself down as the pain was just too intense.
“I found night-time was the hardest part as there was no one about and it was heavily raining which was horrific but when the light came back and the Evesham 10K race began I had a lot of support from the runners.
“The last lap was emotional as I knew I was so close to the end and had Olivia with me to help me push on through what was the most difficult thing I have ever done, both physically and mentally.
“But all in all it was fantastic and we raised £8,000 towards our target.
“I want to give a special thanks to my friend Nicky Hancock who walked and supported my for much of the distance. I couldn’t have done it without her,” she added.
Donations can still be made at http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/oliviasdreamtowalk
