Local dad takes on London Marathon to raise vital dosh for GOSH

Story posted on March 16, 2023

A DAD from Seend will be embarking on the TCS London Marathon on Sunday 23rd April, raising money for Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) children’s charity, after his daughter was diagnosed with a brain condition. 

Dan Crossman is aiming to raise £4,000 for GOSH, where his daughter Flo, who is 11-years-old, is being treated for arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), which affects the arteries and veins in her brain.

Dan, who is a headteacher at Marlborough St. Mary’s Primary School said, “This condition means she is often tired, has many headaches and suffers mobility problems on her right side. I think I’ll be pretty emotional when I cross the finish line, because of Flo’s story. She is the reason why I’m doing it, and also, if I’m really honest, it’s therapy for myself.

Ground-breaking surgery

“Flo is amazing and so are the team at GOSH that look after us. She’s recently had ground-breaking surgery to help alleviate some of her symptoms. This procedure can only be done by the neurosurgery team at Great Ormond Street Hospital. To us, they are real-life superheroes. We hope that by raising this money, other children can benefit from the amazing care offered by GOSH.

“Flo has been referred to the Zayed Centre for Research at GOSH, where she will have a skin biopsy to try to identify the genetic condition that causes the AVM. The hope is that in the future, there may be some drugs developed that will stop the growth of her AVM.”

Making a real difference

Director of fundraising at GOSH charity, Liz Tait said: “We’re so grateful to Dan and to all our supporters for taking part in this amazing challenge and we can’t wait to be there on the day to cheer everyone on. With the help of our inspirational TCS London Marathon Team GOSH participants, we’ll fundraise to make a real difference to the lives of children with cancer, who are cared for at Great Ormond Street Hospital.”

To donate and help Dan raise money for GOSH visit, https:// 2023tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/pf/dan-crossman