Brave Kian to abseil down Bradford Royal Infirmary

Young daredevil Kian Pely is planning to take part in Bradford Hospitals’ Charity’s superhero abseil to raise money for its Rays a Smile appeal.

Eleven-year-old Kian, from Bradford, was inspired to take part after watching the charity’s fundraising film, which features young charity star MollyMae Windle, also 11. MollyMae has been supporting the appeal because, due to her cystic fibrosis, she has frequent x-rays and so understands how scary children can find them.

The Rays a Smile appeal, which launched in April, aims to raise £250,000 to create dedicated children’s waiting areas in both radiology departments at Bradford Royal Infirmary and St Luke’s Hospital, refurbish some scanning rooms to make them more child-friendly, and purchase specialist equipment which allows children to watch their favourite films and cartoons during an MRI scan.

More details and the appeal film, featuring MollyMae can be found at https://bradfordhospitalscharity.org/rays-a-smile/

Kian said that he had undergone an x-ray himself when he broke his wrist, so he understood how children could be scared.

“I want children to feel comfortable when they come into hospital for an x-ray,” said Kian, who is an aspiring scientist. “The room is very dark, so I want to help if I can. I was really interested when I had my X-ray, as I am very interested in learning about biology and the human body, but I can see why children would be scared.”

The Tong High School pupil said he planned to dress as a “super humanoid” for the abseil, which has a superhero theme. He said: “Normal humans have their own superpowers, such as love and kindness. I’ll be dressing in my own superhero outfit, which has a big heart on the front.”

Kian’s dad, Tomas Pely, said he was immensely proud of Kian. “He’s a brave boy and I’m very proud of why he’s doing it. It’s great to see him wanting to do something for other people, so we will be supporting him and raising as much money as possible.”

Hayley Collis, head of fundraising for Bradford Hospitals’ Charity, said: “Kian is a fearless young man with a big heart and we’re very proud to have him fundraising for us.

“It’s lovely to see young people across our city getting behind our fundraising appeal, which will help them and their friends when they need it most. Hospital is a daunting place even for adults, so anything we can do minimise that anxiety and fear for our young patients is important.”

It is hoped the changes will also speed-up diagnoses and reduce the need for general anaesthetic, due to less scans being postponed and re-arranged due to high levels of anxiety.

Kian hopes to raise at least £300 by doing the abseil. If you would like to sponsor Kian, visit his Just Giving page at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/kian-pely

It’s not too late to take part in the abseil, which will take place at Bradford Royal Infirmary on Saturday 21 September! If you would like to join Kian and the brave band of superheroes, visit https://bradfordhospitalscharity.org/event/charity-superhero-abseil/

To find out more about Bradford Hospitals’ Charity and how you can support your local hospitals, visit www.bradfordhospitalscharity.org. Alternatively, contact Hayley Collis or Elaine Drake on 01274 274809 or email [email protected]

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