21/02/2026
We need your help.
This is Rob, one of our own, and his wife Sophie. Over the last few years Sophie has faced serious health issues and is now reliant on a feeding tube after both her oesophagus and stomach became paralysed due to two rare conditions, Achalasia and Gastroparesis.
There is one final option that could give Sophie a chance at a more independent life again – a gastric pacemaker. While NHS funded elsewhere in the UK, it isn’t funded in England and costs at least £20,000. If successful, it could significantly ease Sophie’s symptoms and allow her to eat relatively normal again, potentially removing the need for her feeding tube & giving her back her independence.
Rob and Sophie are fundraising £25,000 to cover the surgery, follow-ups and travel costs. Any remaining funds will be donated to Achalasia Action and GUTs UK to support research and others living with these conditions.
To raise money, Rob is taking on a 100-mile trek along the Jurassic Coast from 21–24 May, finishing on their first wedding anniversary. Ross, also a firefighter here at Wivey, is running the North Devon Marathon on 30 June to support Sophie too 💚
Thank you from all of us for taking the time to read this, any support, donations, sharing, or words of encouragement, all means the world to Rob and Sophie.
👉 Sophie’s main GoFundMe (to read more & support Rob’s trek): https://gofund.me/39d39b07f
👉 Ross’s fundraiser: https://gofund.me/e6b8e090f
