“They didn’t just save Clare’s life. They kept our family together.”

The 2027 Double TCS London Marathon - make every mile matter for Royal Papworth Charity.

Taking place across Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th April, the 2027 Double TCS London Marathon will bring together 100,000 participants across two days, all taking on the iconic 26.2 mile route from Greenwich to Westminster.

Meet Pat

This year, Pat Braybrook will be running the 2027 Double TCS London Marathon to support the life-changing work of Royal Papworth Hospital.

For Pat, Assistant Principal and Deputy Head of Sixth Form St Ivo Academy, running 26.2 miles is about much more than completing a marathon. It is a thank you to the hospital that changed his family’s life.

He says: “I’ve wanted to give something back for a long time. When the opportunity came to run for Royal Papworth Charity, I knew I had to apply.”

Fifteen years ago, Pat’s wife Clare was just 31 weeks pregnant with their first child, Emily, when she suffered a life-threatening aortic dissection.

Clare was rushed to Papworth Hospital, where she underwent nine hours of complex open-heart surgery. Just 25 minutes earlier, their daughter Emily had been delivered by emergency caesarean section.

Fifteen years ago, Pat’s wife Clare was just 31 weeks pregnant with their first child, Emily, when she suffered a life-threatening aortic dissection.

Clare was rushed to Papworth Hospital, where she underwent nine hours of complex open-heart surgery. Just 25 minutes earlier, their daughter Emily had been delivered by emergency caesarean section.

While Clare fought for her life in critical care, newborn Emily was receiving specialist care at The Rosie Hospital in Cambridge. Pat found himself travelling between the two hospitals, desperately trying to be there for both his wife and his newborn daughter.

He recalls: “It felt like my heart had been split in half. Every time I left Clare, I worried it might be the last time I’d see her. Every time I left Emily, I felt guilty that she was spending her first days without both her parents together. It was the hardest period of my life.”

But alongside the outstanding medical care Clare received, the family experienced moments of kindness that have stayed with them ever since.

He says: “People rightly talk about the incredible surgeons and pioneering treatment at Royal Papworth, but what has stayed with us all these years is the kindness.

“Every member of staff understood that behind every patient is a family going through the hardest days of their lives. They supported Clare medically and emotionally, and they supported all of us. Their care was incredible.”

Fifteen years on, Clare has recovered. Emily is thriving. And the family is making the most of the life they were given the chance to build together.

Help Pat make every mile matter

Pat is running 26.2 miles to give something back to the hospital that gave his family a future. Every mile is a thank you, and every donation will help Royal Papworth Charity support vital projects, research, equipment and patient care at Royal Papworth Hospital.

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