14-year-old boy from Doncaster walks marathon after life-saving surgery

A teenager who was told he may never walk again after suffering from a rare brain infection has completed a marathon in six days to raise money for the hospital that saved his life.

Ben Mattocks, 14, underwent two operations and spent 10 weeks in Sheffield Children's Hospital after contracting the infection in January.

But, despite a "long and difficult journey" to regain his movement, he took his first steps six weeks ago and has continued to take part in physiotherapy sessions over video calls after the coronavirus outbreak meant he could nolonger attend in person.

Ben, from Doncaster, was taken to the High Dependency Unit at Sheffield Children's Hospital in a critical condition after he fell ill with the infection, which was triggered by a bout of sinusitis.

He had an operation to clear the infection and underwent a craniectomy to remove part of his skull and relieve the pressure on his brain.

The teenager spent the next 10 weeks on the dedicated neurosciences ward at the hospital and received support from the speech, language and physiotherapy teams.

Lucy Warnes, Ben's mother, said her son wanted to "give something back" to the hospital for their "outstanding" care and decided to walk the length of amarathon over six days, raising £1,674 for The Children's Hospital Charity.

Ms Wrens said:

The money raised by Ben will go towards helping the hospital during the coronavirus pandemic and beyond.

Abbie Pervin, regional fundraising manager at The Children's Hospital Charity, said:

"It is really moving to hear about Ben's treatment and I'm really pleased to hear he has made such a strong recovery following the life-saving care he received at Sheffield Children's.

"To walk a marathon so soon after his treatment is an incredible achievement,

"We're really thankful to Ben, his family and everyone who generously supported his challenge in these difficult times."

The charity, which has seen fundraising decline by more than 60% duringlockdown as a result of cancelled or postponed events, has launched a Covid-19 Appeal to support patients and staff at the hospital.