A dad-of-three from Bexleyheath will run the London Marathon to raise money for a children’s charity following his daughter's time in hospital.
Dylan Hutton wants to give back to the Ronald McDonald House Charity after they provided his wife Lily with free accommodation so she could stay with their daughter during her time in St George’s Hospital.
On December 3, Annie, who was five weeks old at the time, became critically unwell with bronchiolitis and was admitted to an intensive care unit.
Dylan said: “My wife took Annie to our local hospital as she had some issues with her breathing, but we were sent home.
“As the days progressed, Annie became worse, and she was admitted to hospital having been told she had symptoms of bronchiolitis.
“Treatment options of Optiflow and continuous positive airway pressure didn’t seem to help and as a result she was intubated and put on a ventilator.”
Annie was put into an induced coma and ventilated for 10 days.
After four days in hospital, Lily was given a place to stay at Ronald McDonald House in Tooting while Annie was being cared for.
Due to a surge in covid cases, the house was unable to allow Annie’s siblings, Mason, four, and Truly, two, to stay during this time.
Lily said: “We hadn’t seen our other children in so long.
“It seemed like such a long time, from being together all the time to being apart for weeks.”
Annie’s health improved and she was discharged from hospital on December 23.
She became unwell again in January with similar symptoms and went to Evelina Children’s Hospital.
Dylan said: “We were given a bedroom at the Evelina House quickly, just after one night at the hospital.
“The House, just like Tooting, was lovely and welcoming.
“This time our children were able to come and stay and we could be together as a family when we needed it most.”
Annie improved and became stable enough to go home with her family and now has regular hospital check-ups to monitor her health.
Since returning home, the Hutton family wants to give back and thank the Ronald McDonald House Charity.
Lily said: “Being given the bedrooms at the Ronald McDonald Houses was just so overwhelming.
“You never want to believe that you are in a situation where you need a place to live away from your home.
“You see everything they provide, and we couldn’t quite believe that this Charity existed for supporting families like us going through the most difficult times.”
“Before staying in a Ronald McDonald House, we didn’t know exactly what the Charity did.
“Just being given a bedroom to sleep in was amazing but they give so much more support than you can imagine.
“The kids could be kids and play as they would at home, and it really took our minds off things – it was just so calming.”
Dylan said he is feeling nervous and excited at the same time as he prepares to run the marathon for the first time.
He explained: “Training for the marathon is going well and I am preparing when I can find time between work and family time.
“I’ve raised just over £3,000 so far which is amazing considering the original target I set was £2,500. With some people struggling financially now, I did not expect to raise so much.”
“We were lucky enough to stay for short periods of time, but I remember being told about a family that had stayed for over 100 days and I couldn’t imagine what they would do without the House.
“We want to show our appreciation and thanks to this wonderful Charity for everything they have done for us and continue to do for other families by taking part in this fundraising event.”
Lily Smith, senior events fundraiser at Ronald McDonald House Charities UK, said it was sad to hear about the family's "difficult" journey.
She explained: "We were happy that we could support them and glad to hear Annie is now doing better.
“It’s a privilege to allow families like Annie’s the chance to stay close to their child whilst they are in hospital, but we can only continue running and building more Houses, with the support of people like Dylan.
“We wish him all the best for the Marathon and will be there cheering him over the finish line on Sunday October 2, along with all our other charity runners.”
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