Dhiviya Xavier

The heart of the matter

My father was an incredible force in my life. He ruled with an iron fist and a fierce temper, but he was also a generous provider. He gave us every thing we needed, we didn’t even have to ask. The only thing he couldn’t give us was himself. 

He spent a lot of time working, with poor sleep, making poor choices and generally not caring for his health. 

Years of neglect finally caught up with him. He suffered a lot towards the end of his life with limited mobility, a painful hernia, falling asleep everywhere - even while driving, swollen legs, breathlessness, unexplained falls, a stroke that left him unable to swallow for a while and unable to speak and finally heart failure. 

Our relationship by that time was so strained that I felt his imminent passing will be a relief for both him and us. But it wasn’t. I felt it heavily. Like a rock that I had been standing on had suddenly caved in. 

You never realise how important a parent is in a child’s life - even one you didn’t have a great relationship with. 

My dad may not have known how to sit and have heart to heart talks with his children, but even towards the end when he was struggling to walk with that breathlessness that accompanies poor heart function and swollen legs, he struggled up and down a flight of stairs in an Indian Terrain shop in T. Nagar just because the kids section was in the first floor and he wanted to get his grandson some clothes. Next to that,  running 100kms is nothing at all. 

This might be considered very old school of me to say, but for many like me, our children are the meaning and purpose of our lives. And what a confluence of benefits this running 100kms for GOSH challenge brings - my improved health and all our combined charity helping sick children in their time of need. Our children are the future and that is the heart of the matter. 

About GOSH Charity

Childhood is time of great happiness for both parents and children. The child gets to experience the many wonderful things this world has to offer and the parents get to see the world anew through their child's eyes. 

But for many, this beautiful time together is marred by sickness and severe illness. 

This is where a charity like Great Ormond Street Hospital steps in - to help children in ill health and support them and their families through the toughest times of their life. Because no childhood should be lost to serious illness.

And with every kilometre I run, and every pound raised, we’ll be helping to give seriously ill children the best chance and the best childhood possible.

Please help me to achieve my goal by giving whatever you can; no amount is too small to make a difference.