Harry was first introduced to the team at King’s in 2016 when he was diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (ulcerative colitis) - a chronic disease of the digestive tract.
In September 2020, during the pandemic, Harry became acutely unwell and was admitted to King’s once again. This time, clinicians found that Harry was suffering from primary sclerosing cholangitis - a rare chronic liver disease affecting the bile ducts.
Harry was cared for on the Rays of Sunshine ward, and it was during this stay that Harry and his family noticed that some of the equipment on the ward could use some TLC.
“During his admission, a trip to ultrasound became something out of a Laurel and Hardy sketch when the arm of his wheelchair fell off and the steering and breaking were lacking", Harry's Mum, Emma, recalls. "We crashed into quite a few things on the way."
On Saturday 10 April, Harry pledged to walk three miles from Greenwich Park to Mudchute Farm and back again to raise funds for King’s College Hospital Charity.
Accompanying Harry were his parents, his sister Olivia, his brother Dylan (who ran the distance), and family pups Peewee and Max.
“Three miles may not seem like a great distance but one of the symptoms of IBD and PSC is fatigue,” explains Emma.
To finish off their charity challenge in a spectacular fashion, Harry’s Dad took to the skies at Hangloose, Bluewater, which is England's longest and fastest zip-wire.
The Hurt family set a fundraising target of £350, which is roughly the cost of a new wheelchair. Thanks to kind and generous donations, they have already surpassed this target, raising over £1,100 to support the ward.
This isn’t the first time the Hurt family has campaigned for a good cause. Harry and Olivia are active members of their local Scout Group, 4th Sidcup, and keen advocates for Crohns & Colitis UK and hidden disabilities.
Last summer, they wrote to Scouts HQ to ask for the Disability Awareness badge design to be changed to be more inclusive and reflective of hidden disabilities.
Scouts HQ were very impressed with Harry and Olivia's campaigning, saying that they felt "very inspired" by the children's idea.
Stories like Harry’s are a chance for us at King's College Hospital Charity to revisit the stories of other inspirational young fundraisers.
- Harrison, who swam in his first open water event to say thanks to King’s for saving his arm.
- Tilly, whose Mum works at King’s, raised funds by completing a virtual hike of the National Three Peaks Challenge
- Brandon, who completed 100 laps of his garden every day for 100 days to represent the 100 days he spent on the NICU as a baby.