Devoted son Adam Shinebroom has raised over £11,500 for our charity thanks to his ‘Cycle for Hazel’.

Adam, who completed the 100km cycle with five friends earlier this month, organised it in honour of his mum Hazel, 71, who has been our patient at Queen’s Hospital for five months. 

In March this year, both 41-year-old Adam and his mum caught Covid-19 and while Adam recovered, Hazel was never quite herself. She collapsed in May and spent six weeks in a coma.

Adam (pictured above with Hazel), said: “Mum has always been the life of the party, and she’s really well-known in the community, so something like this happening to her has been a real reality check. The team at Queen’s saved her life.

“When she was in hospital a friend suggested doing the London to Brighton cycle.  At first I thought, ‘go away’, but when I woke up the next morning, I thought it would be a great way to raise money for the neuro team which is looking after mum.”

While the London to Brighton event was cancelled due to the pandemic, Adam decided to do his own thing, cycling from Chigwell (where he lives) to Southend and back instead on Sunday 13 September. The original team of two, Adam and friend Josh Brandon, also grew, with Adam James, Rob Tyler, Chantelle Genovezos and Shaun Swindell also taking part.

Adam, who manages an Asda depot, had hoped to raise around £2,500 over six weeks, however, they’d already topped that within just four hours of setting up the fundraising page.

The best thing for Adam, who is married to Gemma, and dad to Brooke, 14, and Joe, 11, was how the cycle ride gave him a positive focus at a challenging time.

He added: “I felt really helpless. With mum it was the first time I’d ever seen someone need that level of care and I’ve realised that’s not uncommon. This gave me something to focus my energy on and I hope it will help my mum and others. The stars really aligned, and people donated with their hearts.”

They are currently looking for a suitable rehab facility for Hazel, who also has daughter Zoe Minkin, to continue her recovery. Adam also praised Hazel’s partner Tony for being there for her every day.

And completing his fundraising cycle on the anniversary of his father’s death 11 years ago has finally given him a positive reason to mark the date. Adam added: “It’s nice to be able to remember it for something different – it’s really brightened the date.”

The money raised will be spent on a hoist to assist our team with moving patients more easily.​