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Boy Who Suffered Severe Facial Injuries In Crash Running Double Marathon For Charity

Boy Who Suffered Severe Facial Injuries In Crash Running Double Marathon For Charity

Charlie's injuries were some of the most severe specialists had seen, but now he is raising money for a charity that helped him so much

Jake Massey

Jake Massey

***WARNING: CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES***

A boy who suffered severe facial injuries in a car crash is running a double marathon for a charity that has supported him through his recovery.

Charlie Graver, from Chester-Le-Street, County Durham, was just four years old when he was involved in the crash while in the car with his grandmother. The collision left him with broken cheek bones, a broken nose and caused him to lose a lot of skin from his nose and forehead.

Charlie sustained serious facial injuries in a car crash.
Kimberley Graver

Reflecting on the crash, his mum Kimberley, 34, told LADbible: "The specialists said it was one of the most severe cases they had seen.

"Charlie underwent emergency surgery where they used a skin graft from his thigh for his nose. But because some of the skin was missing from his forehead, they couldn't stitch it together, which now means he's been left with some wide scars on his head.

"As he grows he will require reconstructive surgery to his nose and his other scars can be revised.

"After the accident, at first, when the scars were bright, Charlie got lots of stares from strangers. Some even asked him directly what had happened to his face.

"This was upsetting for him and for us as a family. He has cried many tears because of his appearance, which as his mother has broken my heart."

Along Charlie's road to recovery, charity Changing Faces, 'the UK's leading charity for everyone with a scar, mark or condition on their face or body that makes them look different', has been there to support him. Now Charlie, 8, is hitting the road to return the favour.

Charlie is running two marathons to raise money for Changing Faces.
Kimberley Graver

He raised almost £4,000 ($5,052) for the charity last year when he completed the Junior and Mini Great North Run, and now he is aiming to complete a double marathon in June to raise further funds.

Administrator and fitness instructor Kimberley said: "I'm running alongside him and he is doing fantastic.

"He still has a way to go but our strategy is to run 2.8km to 3km each day to keep chipping away at the distance and by 30 June he should have reached that 85km (52.817 miles) goal."

She added: "Charlie is a lovable character and considering what he has been through he is coping well.

"When he was in hospital, the nurse called him Charlie the Brave and that sums him up. Our brave little hero and we are so proud of him."

Charlie's mum said his family is 'so proud of him'.
Kimberley Graver

Good on ya LAD.

You can donate to his fundraiser here.

Featured Image Credit: Kimberley Graver

Topics: Awesome, Daily Ladness, Inspirational, Charity, Community

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

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@jakesmassey