Running for William and Niall: Lisajane's Story
Lisajane will be taking on the 10k at this October’s Great Scottish Run in support of Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity after her sons, William and Niall, were both cared for at the Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow.
The brothers were both diagnosed with Laryngomalacia, a condition where the cartilage in a baby's larynx is soft and floppy, causing noisy breathing. The family benefitted from a range of charity-funded projects and enhancements, and Lisajane is excited to be running in support of young patients like William and Niall.
Hospital Journeys
William was first admitted to the children’s hospital in July 2021 with suspected croup. Unfortunately, it quickly became clear he was seriously unwell and something else was wrong. He was placed on oxygen and required emergency supraglottoplasty surgery to strengthen his airway.
Surgeons discovered William had Laryngomalacia, along with multiple infections. His tonsils and adenoids were removed, but when he was brought out of surgery, he went into shock and couldn’t breathe unaided. William was ventilated and admitted to our Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, before being moved to High Dependency after three days. Since then, William has remained under the care of our ENT and Audiology teams for recurring adenoid growth and ongoing hearing issues.
Niall was referred to ENT at just nine weeks old and was found to have the same condition as his brother and also required supraglottoplasty surgery. During the operation, surgeons found he also had Tracheomalacia and Tracheobronchial Malacia, conditions where airways are abnormally floppy and prone to collapse, particularly when the patient breathes out.
At just 1 year old, Niall had another surgery to reduce his tonsils and adenoids and have grommets placed, due to hearing loss. The surgery was a turning point, allowing him to really enjoy solid foods for the first time, a milestone which Lisajane is so happy to see her wee boy reach. Niall also remains under close ENT and Audiology supervision, and recently received his first hearing device.
How Your Donations Have Helped
William and Niall have both benefitted greatly from our incredible Play Team, who helped to distract the boys in waiting rooms with various activities. The team were also on hand before surgeries, which made such a positive difference to both boys’ stress levels, and eased many nerve-wracking times for the whole family. William and Niall also enjoyed ward visits, and benefitted from charity funded research, specifically the Tonsil Fairy.
Running for William and Niall
After completing the Kiltwalk in 2023 and 2025, Lisajane was determined to step up a gear when looking for her next fundraising challenge. She shares:
“Training is going well! I only picked up running in March, but slowly but surely, I’m getting there. I’m really looking forward to the atmosphere on the day, and seeing fellow Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity runners.
"I think seeing those fellow purple running tops will give me that much needed push!"
"I’ve heard there’s a hill at the start of the route so if we make it up that we’ll hopefully be plain sailing from there… I hope!”
If you’ve been inspired by Lisajane’s story, there’s still time to sign up for the 10k of Half Marathon at the Great Scottish Run. Charity places can still be requested by getting in touch with our Fundraising team.