Miles for Smiles

Miles for Smiles | 200km | 20 days

Every year thousands of children around the world spend Christmas in a hospital bed, battling challenges no one deserves to face and living with the constant fear of the unknown, instead of waking up surrounded by their loved ones, opening presents and making memories with their families. 

I know how isolating hospital can begin to feel, as few years ago I was a patient at Perth Children’s Hospital learning to navigate life with a Functional Neurological Disorder. I remember how lost I felt being away from home, away from normal life, and surrounded by unfamiliar faces and routines when all you want is to feel like a normal kid again. Through my experiences my perspective changed and I began to realise how much the little things mean during the hardest moments.

This Christmas I want to do something to help bring happiness to the children who will be spending the holiday in hospital. I want to give them a moment where they can forget about where they are and everything they are facing. Even if for just one minute, they can forget about everything else and just be a kid.

To make this happen I’ve created Miles for Smiles a running challenge to raise money for Perth Children’s Hospital. The money raised will go towards providing Christmas presents for the children spending the holiday at PCH. From the 1st of December I will be running 200km in 20 days to hopefully bring some joy to these children on Christmas morning.

I’d love for you to be a part of Miles for Smiles. Every donation no matter how big or small, will help bring some happiness to these children and remind them they are not alone this Christmas.

To follow my journey and keep up with the challenge, follow me on Instagram @lilybarrowcliffe

Thank you for supporting Miles for Smiles and helping me make every kilometre count 💛