Thorp House nursing home resident’s wheelchair marathon for Ukraine
A former postman who won his personal battle with alcohol is determined to support the Ukrainians in their struggle against the odds.
Michael Harper, 54, a resident at Thorp House, in Griston, near Watton, has set his sights on completing 100 laps of the nursing home’s garden to raise money for British-Ukrainian Aid.
After 10 laps, he has already attracted nearly £100 of sponsorship on his Go Fund Me page (https://gofund.me/daebc184)
Marcia Hughes, wellbeing coordinator at the Kingsley Healthcare home, said: “When Michael came to us with irreversible live damage in June 2020 he was initially given a prognosis of four months to live.
“Since then he has challenged himself to look at life differently and recently committed to his faith through baptism which was performed in a private ceremony witnessed by family and staff at Thorp House.”
Mr Harper, who also worked as nursery nurse earlier in his life, said: “I wanted to do something after seeing all the shocking images from Ukraine on the news. If I can just help one person it will be worth it.
“I don’t know how much time I have left but I would like to do good with the time I have been given.”
Mrs Hughes said: “Michael is an inspiration to us all. He had a stroke less than five months ago, but despite his health difficulties, he was determined to do this.
“Michael says that staff have ‘saved his life’ and he is so grateful for the care and love he receives.”
She said his initial target was to raise £100 but now he just wanted to raise as much as possible.
“I am hoping Michael can complete his challenge by the end of May, but we are not setting a deadline as it is an enormous physical effort for him,” she said.
Find out more about Thorp House nursing home
Author: Stephen Pullinger
