In November 2024, 16-year-old Elliot was diagnosed with an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), a tangle of blood vessels which creates irregular connections between the arteries and veins and can reduce oxygen flow to tissues. If the blood vessels burst, they can cause bleeding, lead to a stroke or brain damage.
Kirsty's fundraising page
Elliot required brain surgery, which he underwent at King's in June 2025. Elliot's mum Kirsty and the rest of the family were at King's throughout the whole process, and were shocked by just the sheer number of people that was required to help one person get healthy.
Elliot took the whole thing in his stride from the very beginning, from the very first diagnosis all the way through all the tests that he had to undergo, even though he was understandably apprehensive about what was to come.
When Elliot went down for surgery, Kirsty said all of the King's staff were just totally amazing. He had four neurosurgeons with him throughout the whole operation.
He said just before the surgery started they were all just laughing and joking with him and telling dad jokes, and everyone was having a turn, but what stood out was that they knew exactly how to deal with Elliot, putting him at ease, making what must have just been such a frightening thing for him to go through just that bit easier.
In what was such a difficult time for everyone, Kirsty and the family felt they were in the best hands possible. After eight months of various visits to King's College Hospital, Elliot underwent a successful 13-hour surgery and there is now no sign of the AVM. He will continue to be monitored in the future in order to ensure that the AVM does not return, but his recovery has been nothing short of amazing.
Kirsty and the family praised King's for an amazing job before, during and after Elliot's operation and for that they are all truly grateful. Elliot has since passed his GSCEs last August with flying colours.
While Kirsty was at King's, she saw the advert for the London Landmarks Half Marathon. She texted her friend Kim, whose daughter is at the same school as Elliot, to ask if she wanted run it together to say thank you to King's and to acknowledge everything that had been done for them as a family.
The London Landmarks Half Marathon will be the first half marathon that Kirsty and Kim will run, but they took part in the Regent's Park 10k for King's in October last year. While it's something different for both of them, Kirsty has been telling herself it's one mile for every hour Elliot was in surgery.
Check out our full interview below with Kirsty and Kim about Elliot's story and why they're participating in the 2026 London Landmarks Half Marathon:
