Leigh-on-Sea man who broke pelvis runs Manchester marathon to raise money for Southend Hospital
Tony Smith had to re-learn how to walk
A Leigh-on-Sea man who broke his pelvis in a car accident 16 years ago will be running the Manchester marathon today, to raise money for Southend Hospital.
Tony Smith, 62, had to re-learn how to walk again, and has since run many long-distance events.
Tony has worked at the hospital for three years, and will be running the Manchester marathon to raise money for the Renal Home Therapies Team, which supports patients to manage dialysis at home.
Funds raised will help develop a new training and support suite for dialysis patients.
Tony said the marathon is going to be a "rewarding experience", and he is looking forward to it.
"I had an accident and then I broke my pelvis and the pelvis went through the urethra. Basically it was a case of obviously once I got the operation, it was going from bed to chair and then trying to get up. The most scary thing is when you've been there for a long time and you do stand up, it feels very, very strange because your mind's telling you that you shouldn't be standing up.
"It was a case of a mind over matter for me, that I am going to get back up, I am going to get on with my life and I am going to go forward.
"We all need a little bit of support, we all need a little bit of help, and it's a time where if I can make a little bit of impact by going out and running on Sunday, then obviously it's going to help everybody else, but it might spur someone else on.
"If I can do between 4 hours and 4 hours and 15 minutes, then I'd be very, very happy. I really would.
"I know that I'm going to give it 101% on Sunday to do my best and I'll be thinking about not just the NHS, but the people that are having treatment at that moment and everybody that supported me and helped me with my journey.
"I want to thank everybody around me and my family, everybody that supported me, because I have come a long way within my journey over the last many years.
"I never thought that I'd get to run half marathons or marathons from where I was when I first had my accident. But it shows you that at the end of the day, if you can set a goal and that goal comes to you and you can conquer it, then it is a wonderful feeling."