22 July 2023
Fleet half marathon for corporal
Corporal Justice Malebo is an RLC Supply Specialist, playing a pivotal role in the logistical support for the Army. Earlier this year he raised £1,200 by running the Fleet Half Marathon for Southampton Hospitals Charity to say thank you to the nursing teams for saving his son’s life.
“In 2013, I was deployed to Canada. Suddenly, my little boy Jayden, who was 1 year old at the time, got very ill.
His mum, Sibonginhlanhla Pearl Vilakati, took him to our local hospital in Salisbury for tests, where they were then rushed to Southampton Children’s Hospital for specialist treatment.
Tests showed that Jayden needed emergency surgery for swollen testicles due to testicular torsion (twisted balls). Time was of the essence to restore the blood flow to the area so there was no lasting damage.
I was on the first flight back to the UK and went straight to the hospital when I landed.
Jayden recovered and we went back home. Then two weeks later, Jayden had to be operated again. It was a very scary moment for us as so much was going on. After a couple of days, we got discharged again from the hospital.
I now look at Jayden who is nearly 10 years old. We are so lucky for him to be alive, and that is only thanks to the care we got from all of the doctors, nurses, and everyone in the hospital. Their care and treatment was outstanding!”
