Jenny Walford
My Story
I’m over the moon that I got a place in the 2024 London Marathon!! My running journey has been up and down but the timing is perfect - in 2023 I beat some running demons, I’m supporting a wonderful charity and I have the best inspiration - my cousin, Vik.
For anyone who's heard me talk about her or seen us together, you'll know we have a special bond and she means the world to me. She knows me better than I know myself.
In 2022 we nearly lost her. After months of symptoms more akin to anxiety and depression, followed by a long stretch in hospital, she was diagnosed with Endocarditis (an infection in her heart) and they operated just before Christmas.
Her heart stopped on the operating table. We waited and waited for news, knowing it was taking hours longer than it should. I grieved for her that night. They worked tirelessly to save her - and for that I will be forever grateful. It was magic to hear she’d woken up.
But it wasn't over. The staff at the QE did everything they could but due to a lack of oxygen supply to her spine, she lost the use of her legs. What followed was a painful journey - Vik's always been so active with horses, holidays and going out with friends that the prospect of a very different life was really scary.
Things started to look up when she was moved to Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt hospital in Oswestry - there was hope and Horatio's Garden.
A garden designed for people with spinal injuries - wide flat paths for learning to use wheelchairs, walk again or enjoy fresh air from a bed, swathes of lavender and rosemary, raised vegetable planters and a wonderful space for art and pottery classes.
This is where people who feel like their lives have just ended learn to live again and see a life worth living. Not only that, but the most comforting place for friends and family to connect with their loved one - you can truly forget you're in a hospital and heal together.
Vik is now living life to the full, saying no to nothing, and showing us all how it’s done - Horatio's Garden was intrinsic in her recovery and I'm honoured to be running for them. The money I raise will go towards designing, building and maintaining these special gardens across the UK.
We’d be truly grateful for any and all donations.
The history of Horatio's Garden, and Horatio himself
Horatio's Garden Midlands - where Vik spent her time
