A heartfelt fundraiser has become both a tribute and a thank you.
Henry Cobbe, who was involved in a serious road collision in June 2023 that claimed the life of his young son Charles, suffered life-changing injuries and was airlifted to University Hospital Southampton for emergency treatment.
He recently completed a 10,000-metre rowing machine challenge at Southampton General Hospital.
Mr Cobbe said: "I took on this challenge as a heartfelt thank you to the incredible teams at UHS who cared for me after the tragic, life‑changing accident.
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"When I was discharged to transfer to another hospital closer to home for rehabilitation, I asked how I could say thank you, and the team who looked after me on F ward jokingly said 'just walk in and visit us one day.'
"At the time the idea of walking again was very far away, and we all laughed."
He sustained multiple fractures to his leg, knee, forearm, elbow, shoulder, and ribs in the crash, but completed the 10,000-metre row in just under 46 minutes—beating his previous post-surgery record.
About a year later, as soon as he could walk unaided, he returned to see them and walked in with a large supply of Irish fudge for everyone working on F ward.
He said: "I knew that alone wasn’t enough.
"On my way out, I stopped at the Southampton Hospitals Charity office to find out how I could do more.
"That moment led me to taking on this challenge and the previous cycle challenge that I completed for the charity back in 2024."
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The rowing challenge raised money for Southampton Hospitals Charity, which funds resources and projects beyond NHS budgets.
Matthew Woods, a physiotherapist at UHS, said: "When I saw Henry leave our general intensive care unit, despite our best efforts, his mobility was limited.
"The dedication he's shown to his rehab has really paid off."
Ellis Banfield, chief executive at Southampton Hospitals Charity, said: "We are incredibly grateful for the money Henry has raised that has enabled us to fund projects and resources that go above and beyond NHS provision."
