In the face of unbelievable personal tragedy, Harriet and Paul Cox have raised staggering sums for Oxford Hospitals Charity over the past seven years in memory of their beautiful son, Bobby.

Bobby Cox was a mischievous and adventurous little boy with a great sense of humour.

In 2014, he was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour and underwent brain surgery at Oxford Children’s Hospital. Throughout his treatment, Bobby remained cheerful and positive, wowing staff with his incredible Lego skills by building Star Wars spaceships.

Heartbreakingly, surgeons were unable to remove the entire tumour because it had spread into his medulla. The tumour spread very rapidly, and tragically, just two weeks after diagnosis, Bobby died.

Bobby’s wonderful family and friends have been fundraising in his memory ever since. Lead by Bobby’s amazing parents, Harriet and Paul, together with his sister, Phoebe, they have raised a remarkable sum of money.

To date, their incredible fundraising efforts have resulted in over £200,000 for Oxford Hospitals Charity and the Brain Tumour Charity.

Oxford Hospitals Charity has been able to buy new equipment for the Paediatric Critical Care Unit including a specialist brain monitor, a pupilometer to digitally measure pupil dilation and responsiveness, and a set of cutting-edge portable ultrasound probes.

 The Cox family’s fundraising is also helping us to improve the play facilities, artwork, and parents’ room on Robin’s Ward, which cares for children who have had specialist surgery, and to provide additional education and training courses for ward staff.

Bobby’s inspiring family and their supportive friends, together with colleagues and pupils from Marlborough College where Harriet and Paul both work, have managed to run, walk, swim, bike, dance, quiz and so much more to keep raising funds.

In their latest fundraising feat, Harriet and her friend Helen Kelly, who is the mother of one of Bobby’s close friends, took on the famously tough Race To The Stones. Speaking after completing this 100km ultramarathon along the Ridgeway earlier this year, Harriet said:

‘It was really gruelling and much harder than we could have imagined, but Bobby was with us all the way. The problem now is trying to work out what challenge to do next!’

We are so grateful to the Cox family and their friends for everything they have enabled our Charity to do. This incredible support has created such a lasting legacy in Bobby’s name, which will help us to improve the care and comfort of other young patients and their families for years to come.