In October 2023, Melanie Campbell, from Bournemouth, was admitted to Bournemouth Hospital with severe chest pains.Tests at the hospital revealed that Melanie had blood clots on her lungs (pulmonary embolism) that could have been life-threatening if they had been left untreated.
Having made a full recovery, Melanie is determined to give back to Bournemouth Hospital and her local community, whilst raising awareness about pulmonary embolisms and the signs to look out for.
An avid runner and ambassador for The National Running Show, Melanie has completed the London Marathon four times, as well as an ultramarathon and various other running events and challenges, including summiting Ben Nevis twice.
Now, Melanie is setting herself her biggest physical test, with five challenges of project #RUN102point7. Not one to shy away from big, bold challenges, Melanie will run a total of 102.7 miles including races far and wide. The first race being Conquer The Vedder (British Columbia), followed by Race to The Stones (North Wessex Downs), the Great South Run (Portsmouth), the Valencia Marathon and finishing with the UK’s iconic London Marathon in 2025.
Accompanying this ambitious mission is an equally ambitious fundraising target of £10,000. Which Melanie hopes to raise through donations, a wide range of fun events and a raffle. Every penny raised will go to University Hospitals Dorset NHS Charity to purchase an additional CT scanner at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital in its new BEACH building from spring 2025. This scanner would enable radiographers to scan an additional 13 to 15 thousand patients each year, which would expedite patient diagnosis and treatment.
Melanie Campbell comments: “I am a firm believer in giving back. I have previously fundraised for the Macmillan Unit in Christchurch as they helped my late mum. I am now keen to turn my own life-threatening experience around into a positive. I want to make an impact on the local community by helping to fund a new CT scanner.
In doing so, RUN102point7 is a project that aims to raise awareness about Deep Vein Thrombosis and pulmonary embolisms. I had recently travelled abroad when I got the blood clots on my lungs but wasn’t aware that potential deep vein thrombosis can affect other areas of your body. I could have just put the pains in my chest down to other things, but the pains were stronger and different to anything I had ever experienced before and the quick thinking/training from the ambulance staff on that day of asking about recent travel, meant I was seen and diagnosed quickly”.
Fundraising Officer for University Hospitals Dorset NHS Charity, Amy Beauchamp said: “What Melanie is taking on is truly inspirational and it couldn’t be for a better reason. It’s clear Melanie has the determination to finish any finish line and it will be exciting to hear how she gets on in each race. Thank you Melanie for all your support and for helping other patients who may need the support of our hospitals in the future, A second CT scanner that is above and beyond NHS funds will enable NHS teams to further enhance the care they provide to every patient who walks through their doors by providing even more scans to even more people within critical timeframes. How amazing will that be.”
If you would like to support Melanie with her fundraising, please go to: https://www.justgiving.com/page/run102point7 . You can follow also Melanie’s story and her progress with the challenges on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/ultra_melanie/
Bournemouth Runner to say, ‘Thank you’ to Royal Bournemouth Hospital by completing more than 100 miles, after life saving diagnosis
