Consultant completes Channel swim for More Smiles Appeal
The consultant who set up the children’s intensive care unit at St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington has completed a 43.5 mile swim across the English Channel to raise funds for the More Smiles Appeal.
Dr Parviz Habibi, 64, set off from Dover on Tuesday 30 August reaching France after 19 hours and 12 minutes in the water. His efforts have raised more than £20,000 so far for the St Mary’s Hospital More Smiles Appeal.
Dr Habibi has been training for two years for this challenge and while he has done four previous Channel swims as part of a relay team, this was his first solo attempt.
Dr Habibi said on completing his swim:
“I am really pleased to have finished. It was very challenging but all the years of training and preparation have paid off.
“I would like to thank everybody for all their support and generous donations. The More Smiles Appeal is a great cause which will help us to improve the lives of many more children and young people in the future.”
Dr Habibi set up the children’s intensive care unit at St Mary’s in 1992 with one bed and one nurse. Today, the eight-bedded unit treats a range of medical, surgical and trauma patients as well as being a world leader in the understanding and treatment of serious infections.
The More Smiles Appeal is aiming to raise at least £2 million to help fund the £10 million expansion of the current unit to 15 beds allowing more than 200 extra children to be cared for each year. Earlier in the month, the appeal reached a major fundraising milestone of the £1 million mark.
To donate to please visit Parviz’s JustGiving page
St Mary’s Hospital More Smiles Appeal
The St Mary’s Hospital More Smiles Appeal is a joint appeal between two charities, COSMIC (Children of St Mary’s Intensive Care) and Imperial College Healthcare Charity. It is aiming to raise at least £2million to help fund the £10 million expansion of the Children’s Intensive Care Unit at St Mary’s Hospital, London. The Appeal’s vision is of a top quality children’s intensive care unit, able to care for every critically ill child who needs it.To find out more about the St Mary’s Hospital ‘More Smiles Appeal’, telephone 020 3312 6179. You can stay up to date with the appeal through the appeal website www.moresmiles.org.uk or on Twitter @MoreSmilesApp
COSMIC
COSMIC (Children of St Mary’s Intensive Care) was founded in 1994 to support and raise money for the Children’s Intensive Care Unit at St Mary’s Hospital in Paddington, London. The charity funds vital state-of-the-art medical equipment, a ground breaking programme of internationally significant research into life threatening childhood illness and provides support and accommodation to help families through one of the most difficult times imaginable. www.cosmiccharity.org.uk
Imperial College Healthcare Charity
Imperial College Healthcare Charity raises funds for five London hospitals within Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust: Charing Cross, Hammersmith, Queen Charlotte’s & Chelsea, St Mary’s and Western Eye hospitals. Since 2009, the charity has awarded over £20million in grants to over 400 pieces of clinical research and healthcare projects across the hospitals, all of which aim to improve patient healthcare. www.imperialcharity.org.uk
