Man takes on ultramarathon challenge for hospital staff

A man who was drinking more than 20 cans of beer and a bottle of rum a day is to take on an ultramarathon running challenge to raise funds for the hospitals that he says helped save his life.

Paul Cozens, who lives in Whitstable in Kent, said he felt that life was not worth living at one point, but his perspective changed after his care at Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother Hospital (QEQM) in Margate.

He now works as a porter at the hospital and said that it was "the perfect reminder of me surviving – I smile when I come to work each day".

Cozens is undertaking a run between three East Kent hospitals to raise funds for the staff who helped him.

Cozens said: "For three years, I thought my life was over."

But after treatment at QEQM, William Harvey Hospital in Ashford and Kent and Canterbury Hospital, he said he had "some sort of epiphany".

"I wasn't going to drink again," he added.

In October, he will run between the three hospitals.

He will start the run wearing hospital pyjamas and will change into his hospital uniform along the way to signify the journey from patient to porter.

East Kent Hospitals Charity fundraising officer Hannah Harvey said: "Choosing to give back to the hospital that supported him is a truly inspiring gesture."

Cozens added that his fundraising effort showed that anything is achievable if you have the right support.

If you, or someone you know, has been affected by addiction, BBC Action Line has a list of organisations that may be able to help.

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