Addenbrooke’s neurologist attempting keepy uppy charity challenge
Tom Stoker, a neurologist working at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, is attempting a keepy uppy challenge – 5,000 of them in 30 days – to raise money for Sands, the stillbirth and neonatal death charity.
The fundraiser came after Tom’s nephew Sebastian – his sister’s son – sadly passed away just after he was born. Tom never got to meet his nephew and said he felt “completely helpless” when he heard.
So why keepy uppies? “I used to play a lot of football,” said Tom, “but this was because we found out about the Sands charity, and they actually did a keepy uppy challenge in December. I thought I would do my take on that challenge.
“Theirs is to do 2,000 keepy uppies in a month but I thought I’d make it a bit more of a challenge and do 5,000.”
Speaking on day 10 of his challenge, Tom had been managing about 250 keepy uppies a day. The most he had achieved in a row was 63. “I’ve been challenged to do 100 in a row,” he said. “A few of my friends have said they’ll give me an extra £50 each if I can do that.”
Most of the keepy uppies have been done in Tom’s garden. “I did one when I took my sons to their football practice at their pitch.”
“I’m well on target to get to 5,000,” he said. “I’m just going to get as many as I can.” As of last Tuesday (February 28), Tom had raised £5,350 via JustGiving. “When I started out and it was picking up, a friend of mine joked that it would be £1 per keepy uppy.
“The response to it has been amazing – much more than I thought it was going to be.”
Tom has been uploading videos of the challenge on his Facebook page, which can be viewed at facebook.com/tom.stoker.37/.
“The dog is just standing awkwardly in the background, generally,” he said, “and I think that’s the main reason people watch the videos now!”
He added: “I come from Swindon originally so I’m a Swindon Town fan – so I’m doing them in my Swindon shirt. I had got a little Swindon shirt for my nephew, which was the last thing I spoke to my sister about before he was born.”
Sands operates across the UK, supporting anyone affected by the death of a baby, working in partnership with health professionals to ensure that bereaved parents and families receive the best possible care, and promoting improvements in practice and funding research that could help to reduce the loss of babies’ lives.
[Read more: Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge to get three new operating theatres to ease orthopaedic waiting lists]
You can donate to the cause via Tom’s JustGiving page at bit.ly/3IwxD9j. For more information on Sands, go to sands.org.uk.
