In 2016, a passionate father set himself the task of completing over 67,000 burpees by adding one rep every single day for a year to help raise money for St George’s Hospital in Tooting, after they saved the lives of his twin sons.

Having completed his challenge, Craig Peters then went on to complete 6,500 burpees in 24 hours, and another 45,000 in 2017, raising £17,000 for the hospital’s Fetal Medicine Unit in the process. Now, with the hospital receiving the Fetal Endoscopic set that Craig raised money for, it is improving clinical outcomes following treatment for twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS).

In February 2014, at week 20 of their pregnancy with identical twin boys, Craig’s wife Kyrie was diagnosed with TTTS, which occurs in just 10% of multiple pregnancies. TTTS affects only identical or monozygotic twins and occurs when the flow of blood in the placenta blood vessels between the twins is out of balance. One twin receives too much blood, putting a strain on the heart, whilst the other receives too little which can affect their growth and survival. 

As a result, the pair had to undergo emergency laser surgery – if they did nothing there was a 90% chance they would lose their boys. This technique involves a laser burning and closing the shared blood vessels on the placenta. However, even going through with the laser treatment there was still a one in three chance that both twins would survive; a one in three chance that only one would make it; and a one in three chance they could lose both.

Amerjit Chohan, CEO of St George’s Hospital Charity said: “We are thrilled that Craig decided to give back and support St George’s after his experience here. It is amazing to see the money Craig fundraised so hard for, supporting more patients like himself and his family.”

With the purchase of the Fetal Endoscopic Set, the team can now undertake a wider range of surgery and multiple operations in a week. Craig’s donation is made even more exciting by the fact St George’s has recently been recognised as one of only four fetal surgery centres in the country, as a result of the new equipment.

Craig said: “To have now been told that the piece of equipment I fundraised for is not only operational but is in fact improving clinical outcomes in TTTS, that’s news that I don’t think will ever sink in. It makes every single piece of blood, sweat and tears completely worth it. We appreciate we are one of the lucky ones but there's families out there experiencing the roller-coaster ride of TTTS, sometimes with very tragic consequences. I always set out to do what I can to give something back to the people who gave us our boys, though I never imagined I’d raise enough money to purchase another actual piece of equipment. I’m absolutely overjoyed to know it is saving lives.”

Craig has now pledged to continue fundraising for St George’s Hospital Charity and is attempting to break the Guinness World Record for the most burpees completed within 24 hours.

St George’s Hospital Charity supports St George’s and Queen Mary’s hospitals and the communities they serve. The charity gives grants and raises funds to improve facilities, provide equipment, enable research and arts activities, and support staff.

To find out more about St George’s Hospital visit www.stgeorges.nhs.uk. To find out more about St George’s Hospital Charity visit stgeorgeshospitalcharity.org.uk
 

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