Mum's sit-up challenge raises £435 for charity that helped when son was ill

An Ely mum who completed 900 sit-ups throughout April has raised £435 for a charity that gave her a place to stay when her son was rushed to hospital with breathing difficulties. 

Georgie Monigatti decided to take part in the 'team gladiator' challenge to thank The Sick Children’s Trust for giving her a place to stay at its ‘Home from Home’ Acorn House in Cambridge.

She said: “When Carter arrived at Addenbrooke’s Hospital I knew we would be there for a while. 

"I wasn’t prepared to leave Carter and I realised I would have to try to stay awake in that chair until he got better. 

"Fortunately, I didn't have to as I was handed the keys to a room at Acorn House." 

When she arrived at Acorn House, Georgie said she "felt at home; there was a kitchen, living room and even a playroom so I knew straight away that I could bring Elsie, Carter’s older sister, when the time was right. 

"I was only ever a short walk away from Carter and it meant the world to me to have a home to go to after long, tough hours on the ward. 

"It was also great to be able to have quality time with my daughter and family in a homely setting."

Since the family's stay, Georgie has been supporting The Sick Children’s Trust "in whatever way I can" but says it’s been a challenging year. 

"Doing 900 sit-ups in a month may sound easy for some but definitely not for me - this was a huge challenge," she added, 
having had severe pre-eclampsia during her pregnancy which ended in an emergency caesarean. 

"I was rushed into hospital with sepsis, pneumonia, and pleurisy in February 2020 and I then only managed about a week out of hospital before being admitted again with pancreatitis and severe liver damage. 

“This challenge has been harder than I thought, but Carter has been jumping in to join me every day and Elsie always gives me some motivational words which gets me through.”   

The Sick Children’s Trust say it costs £30 to support a family for one night when their child is in hospital. 

Charlotte Webster, of the charity, said: “2020 was a really challenging year for us and we have been looking for ways all of our supporters can get involved to help keep families together with their seriously ill child. 

"Sit Up for The Sick Children’s Trust is something that anyone can do, anywhere, but it is not an easy challenge! 

"We invited everyone to join a community Facebook group where they have been receiving support and encouragement which has been so important for this challenge. 

“We’d like to thank all of our amazing champions for taking part, we’ve had families like Georgie’s sign up, corporate partners, trustees, staff and plenty more. 

"It has been fantastic to see people come together to help us continue to keep our ‘homes from home’ open. Thank you.” 

For more information about the charity visit The Sick Children’s Trust website. 

Donate to Georgie’s fundraising page.