Team Reilly raises £5,000 for Great Ormond Street Hospital

Team Reilly recently completed the London Landmarks Half Marathon and so far, have raised over £5,000 for Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Reilly Roper, affectionately known to the team as ‘our superhero,’ was diagnosed with leukaemia at the age of three a couple of days into lockdown in 2020.

His mother’s best friend Rebecca Ramirez said from that moment we wanted to raise money for the Great Ormond Street Hospital, who were treating young Reilly.

They ran the London Parks Half Marathon and successfully raised over £30,000.

Since then, Reilly has beaten the disease and is unstoppable on and off the football pitch.

“When Reilly successfully finished his treatment, my friend Seamus (Byrne) decided he wanted to run a half to celebrate. He signed up for the London Landmarks, we all wished him luck and then he privat4e messages us to say how wonderful it would be if we ran again with him,” said Ms Ramirez.

“I couldn’t say no to that.”

On the day, the race was tough due to Storm Kathleen battering the island, with race organisers changing the route to accommodate this.

“But the atmosphere was phenomenal. The spectators there were great. They were great during the London Parks but here you just had that support right the way through,” said Ms Ramirez.
“And obviously every time you think you do not want to carry on you stop and think about why you are doing it. And you just you find that energy within to keep going.”

Seamus Byrne, whose idea it was, explained why Reilly is so important.

“He is very important to me personally as a family member and I am very, very close friends with his father as well. I have grown up with the whole family,” said Mr Byrne.

“Apart from that. Reilly was also part of my football team, Calpe City Peewees. And when Rebecca decided to do it the first time she said no, you are the coach, you must do it.”

“And then I always said that if everything was going to plan and rang the bell then I will be running to celebrate it.”

This time it was Mr Byrne’s opportunity to rope Ms Ramirez in and three other runners, Rachel Santos, Megan Mauro, and Lizanne Olivero.

Having achieved a personal best Mr Byrne confidently stated, “obviously there needs to be a third one.”

He also thanked Great Ormond Street for all the work that they have done and the people in the Gibraltar Health Authority and in Calpe House in London.

“And many people in the community who have worked silently behind the scenes supporting the beautiful family as well, because they needed all our support,” he said.

Reilly, who completed dozens of laps at last year’s Relay for Life, himself had thanks and praise for the members of Team Reilly and when asked if he thought Mr Byrne should make the next one a marathon, he said a firm “yes.”

To donate go to https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/seamusjbyrne