Boy with brain condition raises £2,500 for Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus with 60-mile walk challenge

A boy from Skye who has had a brain condition since birth has raised thousands for charity after a 60 mile walk challenge.

Alexander Mackenzie completed the 60 Miles in March challenge for Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus (SBH) Scotland, raising a total of £2,682 for the charity.

The 11-year-old said he was inspired to raise awareness of hydrocephalus, a condition he was diagnosed with when he was born eight weeks premature in February 2014.

After being diagnosed with Hydrocephalus, which is a condition where excessive cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) builds up within the brain, Alexander had surgery to have a shunt fitted when he was a baby.

The youngster said his aim with the charity walk was “to raise awareness for a lesser-known condition like hydrocephalus and the fact that hydrocephalus affects him.”

He added: “If the NHS is struggling for money, then smaller charities will be too”.

The local community in Skye got behind Alexander’s challenge with generous donations and supporting him on his walks.

He ended up beating his target and walked 72 miles, most of them with family dog Molly for company.

Alan Mackenzie, Alexander’s dad, said he was “amazed” at how much his son managed to raise.

“The challenge was 100% Alexander’s idea, and it is phenomenal”, he said. “We live in quite a small community, and they have been very generous. They get behind these things and Alexander is well known in the area. It is amazing the amount of money that is generated locally.”

“People saw him out and about walking and said ‘aww, I saw Alexander doing some miles the other night’ and gave him a wee honk of the horn. He was always checking his mileage and making sure he’s doing enough.

“He was absolutely flabbergasted that within a day, he had raised over £1,000. He was just absolutely blown away by it. There’s no way we thought he would get anywhere near as much as he’s got.

“People have been very generous, and we got some bigger donations from family over in the States. It has been really nice, really humbling.”

SBH Scotland, which supports thousands of people throughout Scotland affected by spina bifida and hydrocephalus, called it an “incredible achievement”.

Andrew Flynn, head of fundraising and communications at Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus Scotland, said: “We are so grateful that Alexander chose to complete this challenge and raise much-needed funds for SBH Scotland.

“The mission is to help people with spina bifida, and hydrocephalus feel unstoppable, and the money raised through fundraising enables us to provide our vital support services to those living with spina bifida and hydrocephalus across Scotland.

“Thank you so much to Alexander – we really appreciate your support!”