Jithu Patteri valappil

Running for Every Second That Matters

In ICU, time feels different.

Seconds matter. Decisions matter. And sometimes, despite everything we do, outcomes are shaped long before a patient reaches the hospital.

Working in intensive care has shown me how fragile life can be, and how quickly everything can change. I have cared for critically ill patients who arrived after sudden emergencies, and supported families who never expected their day to end in a hospital corridor, holding on to hope in the middle of chaos.

I still carry many of those moments with me.

The silence after a resuscitation attempt.

The relief when a patient stabilises after a critical arrival.

The quiet conversations with families trying to process the unimaginable.

The faces of people who fought so hard, and those we could not save.

In those moments, I have often thought about how much difference early intervention can make how outcomes can change when expert care reaches patients as quickly as possible, before they even arrive at hospital.

That is why I am taking on the Oxford Half Marathon 2026 in support of Thames Valley Air Ambulance.

They give people in our community the best possible chance of survival and recovery in an emergency. Within minutes, they bring hospital-level expertise, equipment, and treatment directly to the most critically ill and injured patients across Oxfordshire at the scene, when every second truly counts.

This work connects deeply with what I see in ICU every day. The chain of survival does not begin in the hospital  it begins the moment an emergency happens. And the earlier advanced care arrives, the more lives can be changed.

When I run, I will be thinking of those moments.

The patients who arrived too late.

The ones who made it because help came in time.

The families who lived through both outcomes.

And the teams who fight every day to give every person the best chance.

This half marathon is not just a physical challenge. It is a way of honouring resilience, urgency, and hope. It is about supporting a service that brings critical care beyond hospital walls and into the heart of the community when it is needed most.

Every mile will carry meaning  for the patients, the families, and the possibility of another chance when it matters most.