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Meet the TOFS 2025 London Marathon team

Meet your TOFS 2025 London Marathon team. Please read their stories and click here to sponsor them.

Running in support of TOFS are:

Ronnie Quick

I’m delighted to get the chance to run for a cause that is so close to my heart, and to be able to give something back to this great charity.

I was born at 38 weeks with long gap oesophageal atresia, which was diagnosed before I was born. I was operated on at day 1, but the gap was too wide to repair, so I had to wait until I was 4 months for a gastric transposition and finally came home at 6 months after the repair at guys hospital. My early years were not plain sailing and every winter saw many chest infections and episodes of being hospitalised with pneumonia.

As I grew older my health improved and I am now a keen sportsman, have been on a golf scholarship to American, I play football and obviously run!

I’m excited for the challenge ahead and looking forward to helping this great charity in the process.

Jack Wright

My little boy Archie has had 6 operations in total, 5 of which relate to his OA/TOF condition. He has also choked 4 times due to his oesophagus narrowing which is a side affect of this condition.

Archie was born in September 2023 and is the strongest little boy I know. 

I’m doing this for him and for the many others who suffer every day due to this rare condition. He’s my inspiration and my reason for doing this. He and my daughter Ria are the best thing to ever happen to me. I’d be nothing without them keeping me strong and proving to me daily that life really is about taking risks, enjoying yourself and to keep going. 

Ben Hollyer

In 2019 our son George was born and it became quickly apparent that he was very poorly. George was born choking and with his oesophagus not being connected between his throat and stomach it meant he needed 7 hour surgery at 1 day old at Princess Anne Hospital in Southampton. 

The AMAZING team between Princess Anne, Southampton University Hospital and Winchester Hospital have looked after George for the last 5 years (and our family in support). And as we reflect on the time we spent in hospital, in ambulances and A&E we wanted to raise more money for the organisation that became our support structure from day one. The TOFS charity.

Please dig deep if you can spare any money, it’s a charity very dear to us but relatively unknown to most. But every little helps!

George as a baby
George

Kate Murphy

In 2019 our son George was born and it became quickly apparent that he was very poorly. George was born choking and with his oesophagus not being connected between his throat and stomach it meant he needed 7 hour surgery at 1 day old at Princess Anne Hospital in Southampton. 

The AMAZING team between Princess Anne, Southampton University Hospital and Winchester Hospital have looked after George for the last 5 years (and our family in support). And as we reflect on the time we spent in hospital, in ambulances and A&E we wanted to raise more money for the organisation that became our support structure from day one. The TOFS charity.

Please dig deep if you can spare any money, it’s a charity very dear to us but relatively unknown to most. But every little helps!

George as a baby
George

Mark Keenan

I am the proud father of our son Jude who was born with OA/TOF.

Jude was born in September 2019 and as with many other TOF parents, we had no complications leading up to his birth. The initial shock when Jude was diagnosed is one we will never forget, the trauma, confusion and mourning the healthy child we thought we were having is, something we are still trying to come to terms with. The months that followed were extremely challenging for my wife and I as new parents and no knowledge of the condition.

We spent the first early of Jude’s life in Alder Hey Hospital and when returning home, we still had a very traumatic journey, returning initially on a weekly basis for different procedures and operations.

Linked to his OA/TOF condition, Jude also struggled with severe Tracheomalacia. This was particularly difficult as on a number of occasions he required resuscitation, once at home which I will never forget!

Thankfully, Jude’s tracheomalacia has improved as he has grown older and stronger. However, when we asked his consultant recently regarding Jude’s tracheomalacia, and the impact on his fitness and ability to do sport as he progresses, the consultant compared this to being an athlete and that ‘he would never be a professional footballer’. We think anything is possible for Jude and children with this condition and they must not be told anything is impossible.

I want to show Jude that anything is possible and I’m challenging myself to run the London Marathon 2025 quicker than my last marathon 13 years ago which I completed in a time of 3 hrs 36 mins.

Now 4 years old, Jude is a strong, intelligent and loving little boy. We couldn’t be prouder of our miracle child.

Our journey was extremely tough but having the support and resources provided by TOFS made such a difference. Knowing we weren’t alone in this and being able to learn more about the condition, and what was to come, helped us deal with the situation so much better.

I want to raise money to support TOFS to allow the charity to continue do amazing work and support other families as I know just how important that this is and how this journey would have been a lot more difficult without their invaluable support.

Thank you for reading our story.

Rita Martins

I’m excited to run the 2025 TCS London Marathon to raise funds for TOFS and to honor my son Tomás, who was born with TOF/OA.

I started running during the COVID-19 lockdowns, and although I have run a few half marathons before, this will be my first attempt at a full marathon. I’m proud to do it in the year I turn 40!

After a straightforward pregnancy, learning about Tomás’ diagnosis just hours after his birth was a massive shock. One of the doctors advised me “not to look things up on the internet or I would get scared”—advice I didn’t follow, and thankfully so, as I came across the TOFS charity website where I learned everything I could about the condition. On his second day of life, Tomás had a successful but “tight” repair.

While those days were scary, being informed about what was happening helped me cope and empowered me to advocate for my son when needed. The support of the TOFS charity and community has been invaluable at each step of our journey: from when we brought him home as anxious first-time parents through weaning, managing first colds and feeding stepbacks, and even a very scary choking accident. And, of course, all the little victories too – such as the first time he ate a croissant!

Tomás is the joy of our family. He is energetic, fun and healthy! There are few traces of his TOF/OA, apart from the very occasional ‘stickie’ and a faded scar on his back. I hope to raise as much as possible for this fantastic charity.

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