In 2024, at just 13 years old, Rose took on the epic challenge of swimming 40 miles in 11 weeks to celebrate her birthday and raise money for Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity. The charity supports Sheffield Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, where Rose receives treatment for her chronic lung condition.
Rose was born 11 weeks prematurely on 7 October 2011.
Mum, Anna, remembers: “I just went in for my normal 29-week scan and was told I needed to be admitted immediately. There wasn’t space in the premature baby unit at our local hospital, so we were transferred to York. The day after Rose was born, her lung collapsed, and the doctors told me it wasn’t looking good, but they were brilliant and managed to pull her round.”
Rose was discharged from hospital before her original due date on 18 December, but by January, she had started to suffer from bronchiolitis.
Rose was referred to the Respiratory Team at Sheffield Children’s, and in 2013 was diagnosed with Bronchomalacia. Bronchomalacia is a condition where there is softening of the cartilage within the walls of your airways, making it more difficult for air to move in and out as you breathe. This has caused Rose to have lots of chest infections throughout her life, with regular stays at Sheffield Children’s when she’s been unwell.
Rose visits the Respiratory Team every three months for maintenance appointments, so any changes in her health can be spotted as soon as possible.
Anna said: “We’ve always felt really listened to at Sheffield Children’s. The follow-on care they provide is brilliant, and the Respiratory Team has provided her with excellent support. It’s always struck me how they speak to Rose directly, and they put her at the heart of everything they’re doing.”
Rose still has ups and downs, but with the support of specialists, she is managing her condition well. With encouragement from the Physiotherapy Team at the hospital, Rose has become a keen swimmer and has taken up underwater hockey. Rose hopes to play for Team GB’s Under 19s and took part in training cycles to be a trialist to represent Team GB at the 2026 Underwater Hockey World Championships.
Rose’s love of swimming inspired her to take her support for Sheffield Children’s to new depths in 2024.
With the support of her mum, Rose designed a bespoke swimming challenge around her story – starting on her 13th birthday (7 October), Rose would swim 45-miles (the distance from home to where she was born) over 11 weeks (the number of weeks premature she was born), completing her challenge on 18 December.
During the challenge, Rose suffered from three chest infections that led to her needing treatment at Sheffield Children’s. On advice from her doctors, Rose made the difficult decision to reduce the distance to 40 miles.
Rose was incredibly determined throughout her challenge, visiting her local pool at Stocksbridge Leisure Centre every day she could, often in the early hours before school. The Leisure Centre supported Rose every step of the way – even providing her with her own lane on Saturday mornings to help her reach her goal. For Rose’s final lengths, the pool granted her with out-of-hours access, so she could finish on her terms.
Rose raised over £1,000 for Sheffield Children’s, helping make the difference for other children and young people like her.
To be like Rose and take on your own challenge, sign up to fundraise here.
