AN INTREPID fundraiser has scaled the Three Peaks while carrying his paraplegic son – as a way of giving back to the Warwick charity that helped them.
Pete Haslam worked as a team with 15 friends and family members to bring 11-year-old Ted along for the trip – a 23-mile trek across the three mountains, in England, Scotland and Wales – all in aid of Molly Ollys.
The youngster was left paralysed at the age of three, after being diagnosed with Stage 4 Burkitt’s Lymphoma, an aggressive form of spinal tumour.
Pete said: “His back was hurting but he was only young and couldn’t articulate what the problem was – but on this particular morning, his legs just stopped working. Turns out the tumour was doubling in size every 24 hours.”
Ted was rushed into six hours of surgery at Birmingham Children’s Hospital on the same day but the family were warned that compression on the spinal cord is irreversible and his level of function at the time would likely not improve.
Today, Ted stays as active as possible, including undergoing weekly play-centred physio and mobility sessions.
But Pete says he’s always been determined to involve his son in the fundraising challenges which this time, saw them ascend a total of more than 10,000 metres across the course of a weekend.
Four teams of four, on rotation, carried and pushed Ted in his wheelchair, over Snowdon, Scalfell Pike and Ben Nevis in a gruelling charity mission that took around 30 hours to complete.
It was all in aid of Warwick-based children’s charity Molly Ollys, which donated soft play equipment to Ted halfway through his intensive treatment programme.
Molly Ollys was established in 2011 by Rachel and Tim Ollerenshaw, from Warwick, following the death of their eight-year-old daughter Molly from a rare kidney cancer.
The charity works to support children with terminal or life-limiting illnesses and their families and help with their emotional wellbeing. As well as providing wishes, they donate therapeutic toys and books to both children directly and to hospitals throughout the UK.
Although not the first, this was certainly the toughest fundraising feat Pete has undertaken for the charity.
As one of the oldest in the group at 53, Pete admits he’ was grateful for the support he got from the rest of the team, which included an ex-Royal Marine, ex-Fire Service and ex-policeman.
Pete added: “We did the Snowdon Push for the last three years in aid of a charity called Back up. Last year we did Ben Nevis with Ted and he loved it. This year we said we’re going to do the Three Peaks before he gets too heavy.”
Visit www.justgiving.com/page/peter-haslam-1778098385077 to donate.
