Bristol businessman raises £10,000 for charity following major urology surgery
Howard Lake | 1 April 2011 | News
The specialist work of University College Hospital in London has been helped by a former urology patient from Bristol who has raised more than £10,000 for the hospitals’ charity through a series of physical challenges.
Neville Parnell has spent the last 18 months raising funds for UCLH, after undergoing extensive treatment and reconstructive surgery to his overactive bladder.
Following several unsuccessful treatments to rectify his complex and debilitating urology problems, Mr Parnell benefitted from the work of Jeremy Ockrim, consultant urological surgeon at UCLH.
Now Mr Parnell is preparing for the Paris Marathon on April 10. It will be the latest in a long line of fundraising efforts and one of many feats he hopes to achieve this year.
He is aiming to add significant amounts to his existing fund throughout this year. This is made easier by new technology which means that £5 donations can now be given to Parnell Fund given by texting PARNELL to 70700. The alternative channel for donations is through the fund’s website http://www.parnellfund.com.
Neville, who lives in Longwell Green in Bristol and runs a garage by day, suffered daily discomfort, pain and inconvenience before a series of operations in 2009.
The surgery involved a bladder reconstruction to increase its size, the repair of a large hernia which followed the previous unsuccessful operations, and the removal of a 2cm kidney stone.
Neville now has an artificial sphincter at the top of his bladder which is activated by a pump when he wants to pass water. A segment of his bowel was used to provide a channel from his abdomen to his bladder, to allow him to insert a catheter when required, and he has had Botox injected into his bladder to prevent spasms from occurring.
Neville said: “Due to the skill and dedication of Jeremy Ockrim, my life has been transformed. A whole new world has been opened up to me and I set up the Parnell Fund in an endeavour to help others. The charity aims to raise funds for research into urology and also to raise awareness into urological conditions.
“By undertaking these physical challenges, I hope to break the silence surrounding urological disorders. My advice to anybody suffering from any urological problem would be to see a urologist in the first instance. Do not suffer in silence or let your problems curtail your life, no matter how embarrassed you are. There are treatments available that can give you the quality of life you deserve.”
Since September 2009, Neville has completed the New York Marathon, two half marathons, the Three Peaks Challenge and a 10-mile canoeing challenge along the River Wye. This year, alongside the Paris Marathon he plans to take part in the Edinburgh Marathon in May, a climb up Mount Kilimanjaro in July, a canoe challenge from Bath to London in August, the Great North Run in September and the London Parks Marathon in October.
Jeremy Ockrim, honorary senior lecturer at UCL and consultant surgeon at UCLH, said: “The Female and Reconstructive unit at UCLH is the largest centre of its kind in the UK and provides expertise to urologists in England, Wales and abroad with 70 per cent of its work referred from other hospitals. It has an international reputation for urological research, outcome analysis, publication, as well as teaching. We are very grateful to Mr Parnell for the funds he is raising to help further our important work.”
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.