Jane Mulvale from Leigh in Worcestershire is raising money for the West Midlands Cystic Fibrosis Centre at Heartlands Hospital after the team cared for her husband Marc, who had cystic fibrosis (CF).

Marc lost his battle against CF in April 2017 and, soon after, his family founded the Marc Mulvale Appeal. The appeal was set up to raise money for the centre, where Marc had been a patient. The money raised has been earmarked for refurbishing the inpatient rooms on Ward 26 (CF ward) and funding research into new treatments for CF patients.

The Mulvale family and close friend, Margaret Morris, have organised two sponsored walks to support the West Midlands Cystic Fibrosis Centre. They are taking place on Saturday 28 July 2018 (Walk No.1) and Saturday 4 August 2018 (Walk No.2). Walk No.1 is 14 miles and starts at Waseley Hills Country Park at 10:00, finishing at Webbs of Wychbold. Walk No.2 is 12 miles and starts at the Boat Inn in Catherine-de-Barnes at 10:00 and finishes at Hatton Country World. It’s just £2 per person to register or £7 for a family via The Marc Mulvale Appeal's JustGiving page (see 'Links' section below), or contacting Jane for the entrance pack.

Tel: 07837 317 318 

Marc and Jane have three children, and they are supporting Jane in her fundraising efforts.

Jane said: “Marc was 55 when he died, well exceeding the life expectancy of a patient with CF, however he had always lived life in the hope of a cure or new drugs becoming available which would improve the quality and prolong the length of his life. He especially wanted to live long enough to watch his three children grow up but, sadly, this was not to be the case. One of Marc’s last wishes, and something he felt very strongly about, was that his family fundraise – although he knew it would be too late for him, he also knew that it would not be too late for others to benefit from newly developed treatments.

“CF patients can also spend weeks or months at a time in hospital and we want to help refurbish the outdated patient rooms on Ward 26 to be more comfortable, making the most of the space available and creating a light and more modern environment. Refurbishment costs are around £15,000 per room, so we are encouraging as many people as we can to join in our walks and help us raise this much-needed money.”

Marc’s consultant, Dr Ed Nash, said: “We care for too many adults with CF who sadly die at a much younger age than Marc and we know that access to new transformative medications would greatly improve their health and prevent many deaths. Current disease modifying drugs are prohibitively expensive and urgent clinical trials are needed to find more effective, more affordable medication for all CF patients.

“We are really grateful to Marc’s family for their fundraising efforts, which will help us to support patients with CF.”