Determined schoolboy walks over 100 miles in Chronicle country to thank Sheffield Children’s Hospital

A determined schoolboy has raised £1,428 for Sheffield Children’s Hospital after taking on a mammoth walking challenge during the summer holidays.
By The Newsroom
Published 11th Sep 2020, 10:29 BST
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Alex Amner, 12, who lives in the Biggleswade area, covered a total of 106 miles to say a big ‘thank you’ to the nurses and doctors for the care that they give him.

Kind-hearted Alex has brittle bone disease and visits the hospital - which provides specialist treatment - every six months, with his target of 106 miles representing the distance he has to travel.

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Alex told the Chronicle: “They have done a lot for me over the years with my bones and they have given me lots of support.

Family, friends and neighbours all walked with Alex at different stages of the challenge.Family, friends and neighbours all walked with Alex at different stages of the challenge.
Family, friends and neighbours all walked with Alex at different stages of the challenge.

“They have helped me with support for my back and they have given me scans, so I know if it needs strengthening.

“They thought my challenge was really good and I enjoyed walking to places that I hadn’t been before.

“I feel very proud of myself and I walked round my lane to hand out ‘thank you’ notes to people who donated.”

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Alex was just three when he fell over and broke his arm. This was his second innocuous injury, having suffered a buckle fracture of his leg when learning to walk at 16 months.

His mum, Sally, went to a local paediatrician, who noticed a blue tint to the white in Alex’s eyes. It is a distinguishing feature of type 1 osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) - more commonly known as brittle bone disease.

Alex was then referred to Sheffield Children’s Hospital, who have supported him since he was three, and he now takes Vitamin D supplements and has a high calcium diet.

Sally, 45, said: “We are really, really proud of Alex.

“He has had a lot to deal with and he has to put up with a lot of pain.

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“He walked around four to five miles per day and we’d like to say a big thank you to everyone who donated.”

Alex’s father, Phillip, and his brothers, Lewis and Tom, are also very proud.

The family wishes to raise awareness of brittle bone disease, because you may not always know a person has it just by looking at them. The condition causes a person’s bones to be weaker because their collagen hasn’t developed properly.

To donate to the hospital, visit: https://events.tchc.org.uk/fundraisers/alexamner

To find out more about brittle bone disease, visit: https://brittlebone.org/

Related topics:Sheffield Children's HospitalBiggleswade