A BRAVE teen from Bromsgrove has raised £10,000 for charity after taking the plunge in an abseil.
Finlay Joyce, aged 17, raised the impressive sum for Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, as a thank you for the specialist treatment he has received from the hospital throughout his life including since his recent brain tumour diagnosis.
Finlay Joyce became a patient at Birmingham Children’s Hospital the moment he was born, after his mum, Amy’s 20-week scan showed he had Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome.
The condition meant the left side of his heart was so underdeveloped he essentially had half an operating heart.
When Finlay was just three-days-old, he underwent his first of three open-heart surgeries to try and reconstruct his heart, with further procedures throughout his childhood to try and improve his blood flow and oxygen levels.
Finlay has been able to lead a relatively normal life despite his health complications. However, in June this year, Finlay and his family’s world was turned upside down, when a precautionary eye test resulted in an emergency referral to Finlay’s local hospital.
Finlay found himself back at Birmingham Children’s Hospital and after further scans, doctors broke the news that he had a large, inoperable tumour attached to his brain stem.
The teenagers tumour could not be removed leading to various other treatments to tackle the tumour. He has had steroids to reduce swelling, and six-weeks of intesive radiotherapy to shrink the tumour.
Throughout his ordeal, Finlay has worn a brave smile on his face and shown nothing but gratitude for the care he’s received at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.
In a bid to give back, Finlay signed up to take part in the hospital charity’s abseil at the Custard Factory in Digbeth, Birmingham. On the day, Finlay’s friends, family and even teachers from school turned out to cheer him on as he lowered himself 100ft down the side of the iconic building.
Finlay said: “I was worried I wouldn’t be able to do the abseil because I’d felt so unwell in the run up and I even had my sister, Kitty, on standby to take my place if I couldn’t do it.
“Luckily, my symptoms improved a bit, and I managed to dig deep and get down. I was scared though because I don’t like heights.
“I’m really happy with the amount raised and I’d like to say big thank you to everyone that sponsored me. I hope the money can help lots of children.”
Finlay has absolutely smashed his £400 fundraising target, raising £10,000 for the charity.
Annie Eytle, Head of Public Fundraising at Birmingham Children’s Hospital Charity, said: “We’re in awe of Finlay’s bravery and determination to help other patients, especially when he feels so unwell himself.
Visit bch.org.uk or call 0121 333 8506 to fundraise for the charity.
