Birmingham Charity fundraiser thanks NHS for saving his life.

31-year-old NHS worker, David Coppage from Rednal, lost an incredible 20 stone in nine months after a weight loss operation to save his life. He completed the Great Birmingham Run last year as a way of saying thank you to the NHS and has already signed up to run the half marathon in May 2025 for Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham Charity.

David, who works on the Diabetes Ward at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, has struggled with his weight since he was child. With support from his colleagues, he decided to have a gastric sleeve fitted in May 2023 and managed to lose 20 stone within nine months of the operation, astounding his doctors as it normally takes patients two years to lose 70% of their body weight when he lost it in half that time!

To keep himself focused he signed up to the Birmingham half marathon to raise funds for the Diabetes Ward. He said, “I decided to take on the Great Birmingham Run in 2024 to say thank you to the NHS for giving me a new lease of life.

“I was Type 2 Diabetic, but since having weight loss surgery my results have come down and I am no longer diabetic. The support I had from my ward manger and colleagues was amazing and that’s why I wanted to raise money for QEHB Charity to support the Diabetes Ward at the QE and I want to do the same again this year.”

If you want to be ‘more David’, the Charity has places for the 2025 Great Birmingham Run as well as a variety of fundraising activities and events throughout the year for you to sign up to.

For more information about the hospital charity’s events, visit: Events. Follow on socials @UHBCharity for the latest updates.