A Peterhead gym owner is to run 100 miles in 30 hours to raise money for Calvin Cheyne, a young dad from St Fergus who choked on toast after brain surgery and may not walk again.
Nicola Buchan, 35, will take on the epic feat next month, battling fatigue and sleeplessness as she runs through the night.
But the avid fundraiser, who in September ran 18 marathons in 18 days in memory of cot death victim Archie Strachan, said the hard work will be worth it.
“I’m not a long-distance runner so this makes it way harder for me, because it’s not something I usually do,” Nicola explains. “But I’m doing it for a reason.”
Calvin Cheyne communicating again with family and doctors
Calvin went into Aberdeen Royal Infirmary on July 17 for an operation to fix a bulge on his brain that was causing severe headaches.
But during recovery Calvin choked on toast and a piece got lodged in his lungs, which then collapsed.
Calvin was rushed to intensive care where he was placed in a medically-induced coma.
An MRI scan revealed part of his spinal cord and brain stem had been permanently damaged.
His five-month stay in ARI’s ICU and high-dependency unit has meant his seven-year-old daughter Emily has yet to see her dad since he went in for his operation.
She was supposed to see him last weekend, but Calvin contracted a chest infection that kept him away from visitors.
Calvin’s sister Lainey told the P&J that Calvin is still undergoing round-the-clock care at ARI but is communicating more clearly with doctors and family.
“He’s alive, that’s the main thing,” she said. “For a while it was very touch and go. His injuries are very severe, so it’s a long road.”
She added that the past few months have been hard on the whole family, especially Emily. But Calvin’s daughter is keen to take part in Nicola’s 100-mile run, even if only for a short distance.
Lainey said: “She’s saying five kilometres, but she’s only seven, so we’ll see.”
Calvin in recovery but wants to go home
Lainey, who also plans to run some of the way, hailed Nicola’s amazing effort, and the other support the family have received.
The fundraiser for Calvin’s recovery recently topped £50,000, a quarter of the way to the £200,000 goal.
“I never, ever thought we’d get the response we have,” Lainey said. “It’s amazing.”
Nicola will set out on her epic run on Wednesday, December 18 and aims to finish on December 19, Calvin’s 27th birthday.
Nicola said: “If I can do this and help in any way to get him home to some kind of normality and get him and his daughter reunited sooner, that’s what I’m going to think of.”
Meanwhile, from his hospital bed, Calvin also wants a return to more normal circumstances.
“He just wants to go home, that’s what he keeps saying,” Lainey said. “But he obviously knows he’s got to get better.”
To donate to Calvin’s appeal, click here.
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