Tom Price hopes to take it all in his stride as he sets out to run 50 marathons in 50 days.
The Royal Women’s Hospital neonatal intensive care unit holds a special place in Tom’s heart.
Tom, his baby niece Sylvie, and his sister Zoe share smiles.
Langwarrin’s Tom Price, a high school health and physical education teacher, speaks to Sarah Halfpenny about his aim of running 50 marathons in 50 days to raise money for the neonatal intensive care unit at the Royal Women’s Hospital.
What inspired this extraordinary challenge?
My sister, Zoe, and my newborn niece, Sylvie, inspired me. Zoe and her partner, Graham, have been through a challenging journey to become pregnant. Zoe overcame cervical cancer and they went through five years of IVF. When she was 21 weeks pregnant, everything seemed normal after a standard check-up, until Zoe’s waters broke the next day. The doctors were able to delay the pregnancy another couple of weeks, but after developing sepsis, Sylvie arrived via emergency caesarean at 23 weeks and six days, weighing 628g. Both Zoe and Sylvie needed blood transfusions and were taken to the NICU. Sylvie spent her first 134 days of life in their care. Seeing Zoe hold Sylvie for the first time at the NICU – this dream she had for so long, this precious girl with tubes hooked up to a machine with a mask and headpiece on – was quite eye-opening. I knew then and there I had to do something.
Where will you be running the 50 marathons?
It will be around a route I love to run: the Patterson Lake River to Chelsea Bicentennial Park. The loop I run around this area is approximately 11km, so I will be running roughly four laps to reach the 42.2km each day.
Are there specific areas within the NICU that the money will be directed towards?
We’d like to fund ‘kangaroo chairs’. They’re a critical part of the hospital, used for parents to have intimate skin-to-skin contact with their child in a relaxed position. Parents only get a small window per day for this special time; it’s fundamental for a newborn’s development. Each chair costs roughly $2700. Our donations will also go to research to develop ways to support newborns and reduce prematurity.
Tom’s 50-marathon challenge will begin on December 9. Donations can be made via his Instagram account @the_price_of_running or via links on The Royal Women’s Hospital’s social media @theroyalwomens or on www.sportitude.com.au, which also hosts Tom’s blog.
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