Grand National: Alder Hey Children’s Charity joins the runners at Aintree with a very special jockey

An honorary 41st place in the world’s greatest and richest chase, today’s £1-million Randox Health Grand National, has been awarded to Alder Hey Children’s Charity.

Alder Hey Children’s Charity raises vital funds to help make Alder Hey Children’s Hospital a truly world-class, patient-friendly hospital for the 275,000 patients and families the staff care for every year. Since October 2013, over £35m has been raised for a range of life-saving medical equipment and facilities that are making a real difference to families every day.

Alder Hey Children’s Charity will line up in today’s Randox Health Grand National 2019 as the honorary 41st runner, with a very special honorary jockey, eight year old Daniel Bell. When Daniel was three, he had been unwell for a couple of months and was diagnosed with a brain tumour. He was taken to hospital in an ambulance and subsequently directed straight to Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

Watch above as Jay chats with Irene from Alder Hey Children’s Charity and Daniel’s mum, Roslin about todays event.

Following a three-hour operation, he had brain fluid drained. Professor Conor Mallucci then operated on him for approximately nine hours, removing the tumour from his brain. Daniel was then monitored in the hospital for a long time. Daniel is doing brilliantly following the amazing treatment he received at Alder Hey.

The charity helps fund a range of activities and projects which are designed to enhance and improve the lives of its amazing patients. This includes funding special projects such as play specialists and ward-based chefs as well as supporting research. Money raised will also be used to help Alder Hey continue to develop the new healthcare campus next to the hospital, to fund distraction technology designed to reduce pain and anxiety in patients and to buy specialist medical equipment.

Alder Hey Children’s Hospital is the busiest children’s hospital in the UK caring for over 275,000 young patients each year. Alder Hey is a Centre of Excellence for children with cancer, heart, spinal and brain disease and a National Centre for head and facial surgery, we are one of only four centres nationally to provide epilepsy surgery and one of two accredited major trauma units for children in the North West – its A & E department treats nearly 60,000 children every year. It is there for every child every day, providing remarkable care with excellence and dedication.

Jockey Club Racecourses (JCR) first created the honorary berth in 2017 for five-year-old Neuroblastoma campaigner Bradley Lowery, who sadly died in July, 2017. JCR has continued to work with closely with the Bradley Lowery Foundation since Bradley’s death.

Last year, the 41st place was taken by three-year-old Edie Molyneux, who suffered from a rare brain tumour called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG). “Spider-Ede” as she was affectionately known due to her love of Spiderman, sadly passed away in October last year.

Every donation Alder Hey Children’s Charity receives enables it to make a difference to our patients and their families; your vital donations help us to fund research and innovation, provide specialist equipment, enhance patient experience through digital innovations and play equipment and create a better environment and facilities for families

Please give whatever you can to the Alder Hey Children’s charity bucket shakers at Aintree Racecourse today and back a winner for Daniel. For further information and to donate to Alder hey Children’s Charity, head this way.

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