Half marathon is Daniel’s way of saying thank you to hospital staff

A son will speed through a theme park to raise money for the unit where his father was treated.

Daniel Moles will tackle the Alton Towers half marathon in November, and hopes to raise £2,000 for East Kent Hospitals Charity, to be used for The Thomas Becket Renal Unit at the Kent and Canterbury Hospital.

The 35-year-old dad of one is running in memory of his father John, who died earlier this year aged 56 after a long battle with diabetes and diabetic kidney disease. He had dialysis three times a week at the unit for four years and Daniel said the family were grateful for the care he received.

He said: “Dad was a regular and well-remembered patient at The Thomas Beckett Renal Unit, and received the utmost care, dignity and respect from the team.

“Dialysis was tough, he was increasingly exhausted after his treatment, and spent much time recovering from each session.

“Dad's mobility also deteriorated very quickly meaning he was not able to get out of the hospital ward as often as he would have liked. Despite this, he continued to enjoy time with his family and would often go into the hospital garden with his wife Racheal and sit on the bench and have conversations with other patients and their relatives.”

John, who lived in Canterbury, was passionate about plants and worked as a landscape gardener. He and Rachael were married for 37 years, after meeting aged just 19, and had four children and five grandchildren.

Daniel, who works as a detective for Kent Police, is planning more fundraising for the charity after the half marathon, and hopes the money will be able to be used to provide specialist equipment, or for environmental improvements for the unit.

He said: “The half marathon poses a new challenge for me. It isn’t just a case of getting across the finish line; I will be targeting a certain time which will require some serious training and dedication.

“I am already half way to my fundraising target, which is fantastic, and I’m grateful for any sponsorship I receive.

“I knew nothing about kidney disease before my father’s diagnosis, and as his only son I felt a bit useless not being able to help him.

“But the Alton Towers half marathon has given me a way to do that by raising awareness of kidney disease and generating funds that will go to improve the experience of other patients at the hospital.”

You can add to Daniel’s total online at https://www.justgiving.com/page/daniel-moles-1718311060063